6/15/19 Carson National Forest Preparing for Firing Operations on Gurule Fire

June 15, 2019 by cnfpio 0 Comments

Date detected: Friday, June 7

Cause: Lightning

Location: Carson NF, El Rito Ranger District, west of El Rito Canyon, T26N R6E Section 11

Size: 5 acres

Growth Potential: low to moderate

Resources: 8 engines, 2 dozers, 1 water tender, 1 Type 3 helicopter, 134 personnel

Vegetation: Mixed conifer

This fire is being managed under a modified suppression strategy for benefit of resource objectives. Weather conditions have provided us with an opportunity to assist nature by directing the fire in a manner which will reduce fuel, improve rangelands, wildlife habitat and forest health, and protect watershed and cultural resources. A variety of tactics are being employed to achieve these objectives while minimizing or precluding negative effects to valuable resources and the public. Dozers are reopening old roads for use as fire containment lines, and firefighter crews are clearing brush and felling trees along these lines in preparation for firing operations when conditions are favorable. Fire is being monitored to ensure that resources are not adversely impacted.

Advisories: As fire increases in size and firing operations commence, smoke may be visible from the El Rito area over the next several days. Smoke-sensitive individuals and people with heart or respiratory problems are encouraged to take precautionary measures. For information on air quality and protecting your health, please visit https://nmtracking.org/fire. For information on the *HEPA filter loan program, go to https://facnm.org/smoke/ or contact Sam Berry with the Forest Stewards Guild at sam@forestguild.org.

*HEPA is an acronym for “High Efficiency Particulate Air” or “High Efficiency Particulate Arrestance” … The minimum HEPA category requires the filter to capture 99.97% of the 0.3-micron (0.000012-inch) particles in the air passing through the filter. It significantly reduces particulate matter in smoke.