July 20, 2020 
White smoke rises from the bottom of the forest floor as wet fuels burn in the Sacramento Mountains on the Cherry Fire.
Cherry Fire Update: July 20, 2020
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Location: 0.6 miles west of West Side Rd. in Cherry Canyon. Approx. 7.5 miles from High Rolls. Date Detected: July 16, 2020 |
Lat/Long: 32°50’32.1″N, 105°49’54.49″W Size: 32 acres Cause: Lightning |
Fire Resources: 2 Utility vehicles, 3 Engines, 1 bulldozer, 1 water tender; approximately 35 total personnel. Containment: 20% |
Fire Update: Crews successfully completed firing operations on the West Side Road yesterday, which aided in containing the Cherry Fire on the southern, eastern, and northern flanks. Today, crews continue to monitor fire activity and will work on completing fire lines on the northwest side of the fire. To strengthen control lines, crews may use additional firing operations, which will produce smoke, but not increase the perimeter of the fire. Current containment is 20 percent. Pockets of unburned vegetation within the fire perimeter may continue to ignite as the fire move across the landscape within containment lines. The Cherry Fire is currently 32 acres. Fire managers are using a confine and contain strategy, which holds the fire growth within a contained area. Pine needles, twigs, branches, and excess brush are burning on the forest floor.
No structures are at risk from the Cherry Fire. The fire is within the Westside Collaborative Forest Restoration Program (CFRP) Project area, which was slated to be thinned and prescribed burned in the future as part of an effort reduce excessive amounts of vegetation and restore watershed health. This watershed provides clean drinking water to the city of Alamogordo.
Smoke: The public will continue to see periods of white smoke as interior pockets of the Cherry Fire burn. Smoke can be seen from Alamogordo, West Side Road, High Rolls, Mountain Park, and from the top of Alamo Peak and Karr Canyon areas. Yesterday, light precipitation added moisture to the fuels, which increases smoke concentration even as the fire burns at low intensity.
Weather: Moderate temperatures in the high-70s and high humidity levels of 40-50% are expected today. There are light 10mph winds out of the south and a 60% chance of rain today and tomorrow.
More Info: Daily fire updates can be expected each afternoon until they are no longer warranted. Additional information can be found at http://www.nmfireinfo.com or by calling the Lincoln National Forest Google Voice Fire Information Line at 575-208-4402.
NM Fire Info 
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