Lincoln National Forest-Smokey Bear Ranger District- Pine Lodge Fire Update 6/20/2019

Incident Name – Pine Lodge Fire

Jurisdiction: Lincoln National Forest, Smokey Bear Ranger District

Size: 360 acres

Containment: 0%

Containment Strategy: Full Suppression

Cause: Unknown, Under Investigation

Date/Time Detected: June 19, 2019, at approximately 2:00 pm

General Location: Off Highway 246 about 4 miles up Forest Service Road 130 near the Capitan Mountain Wilderness

Lat/Long: Lat: 33°, 37′ 28.6″ Long:-105°, 14′, 40″

Legal Description: T8S, R17E, SESE Sec 10

Firefighting Resources: 5 engines and personnel.  2 hotshot crews. 1 water tender. 1 dozer. 1 Type -3 helicopter. 2 single engine air tanker (SEATs). The Pecos Type-3 team has been ordered and additional resources will be ordered as needed.

Total Personnel: Approx. 75

Fuel Type: Grass, Pinyon-Juniper, Mix Conifer

Values at Risk: Radio Towers, Cabins

Injuries: None

Fire Update. 6/20/2019 at 2pm: The Pine Lodge Fire was detected at approximately 2:00 pm on June 19, 2019. It is located on the Smokey Bear Ranger District on the Lincoln National Forest. The original size was estimated to be 30 acres. The fire has now been updated to 360 acres as of 8:50 am June 20, 2019.

The Pine Lodge Fire is burning partially in the Capitan Mountains Wilderness. It is located in the 2004 Peppin Fire burn scar. The terrain is rough, rugged and rocky with a large amount of dead and down material from the Peppin Fire.

Two cabins within the Pine Lodge Recreational Residence Tract have burned. These cabins are located on Forest Service land, but are privately owned. One vehicle has also burned.

Given the difficult terrain, fire officials are scouting the area to identify the safest and most effective options for fighting the blaze. Today firefighters will work to secure the north side of the fire to try to prevent it from spreading onto state and private lands. Powerlines have been turned off along Forest Service Road 130 to ensure firefighter safety.

Evacuations: To ensure public safety access to the Pine Lodge Recreational Residence Tract is restricted. These residences are only used part of the year and were unoccupied at the time of the fire. At this time, there are no other evacuation notices.

Closures:  Closures are in place for the Pine Lodge Recreational Residence Tract area. Additional information will be posted as it becomes available.

Weather:  Predictions for upcoming days are for high temperatures above 90 degrees and lower relative humidity. Winds are forecasted to be 20 to 25 mph.

Smoke Information: Please visit the NM Department of Health’s smoke page for information on protecting your health during smoke events https://nmtracking.org/fire.

Information for the Pine Lodge Fire will be released daily.  For the most current information and photos visit https://inciweb.nwcg.gov

Pine Lodge Media and Public Information Phone Line: 575-208-4402.