Albuquerque Zone Team Relinquishing Command of Seco Fire

August 12, 2020 Update

Grants, NM – For Immediate Release – The Seco Fire was once again quiet yesterday.  Mop-up and monitoring were the primary focus yesterday. Today firefighter focus will be on gridding (search for a small fire by systematically traveling over an area on parallel courses or gridlines). Firefighters will closely monitor all areas of the fire for any signs of heat that could compromise fire lines. The Albuquerque Zone Type 3 Incident Management Team will be transferring command of the Seco Fire back to the Mt. Taylor Ranger District beginning Thursday, August 13^th.  A smaller Type 4 organization will continue work and management of the fire.  The ABZT3 team would like to express our sincere gratitude to the district, all cooperators and the local community for all the support provided during the Seco Fire.

Weather: Partly cloudy in the morning with a chance of scattered showers in the afternoon. Temperatures around 80°-85° with humidity in the mid-teens. Northwest winds will be 6-10 mph. Any thunderstorms that arrive could bring strong and erratic winds to the fire area.

Safety: Safety of the public and firefighters is always the top priority in wildland fire operations. Seco Fire operations include best management practices to prevent the spread of COVID-19 within firefighter crews/operations and within the general public.

No Drone Zone: The public is reminded to avoid the use of unmanned aerial systems (drones) near wildfires. If drones are illegally flown over a fire, air operations could be suspended. When this happens, fire crews lose a valuable resource, which can adversely affect the safety and efficiency of the overall firefighting effort. Law enforcement can take action against a private citizen or commercial business illegally flying drones over a wildfire. For more information on drones, see https://www.fs.usda.gov/managing-land/fire/uas/if-you-fly, and Know Before You Fly!

Smoke: Smoke may be visible from I-40, and throughout the local area including the Laguna Reservation. Smoke may be monitored if necessary to assess potential health impacts, and the Forest Service will coordinate with the New Mexico Department of Transportation and the New Mexico Environment Department and Department of Health to issue any needed alerts. Additional information can be found at http://nmtracking.org/fire.

Closures: There are currently no closures in place but the public is asked to stay out of the fire area as there is heavy fire traffic. There is a 5-mile temporary flight restriction (TFR) over the fire area to protect pilots and firefighters.

Seco Fire Information: 505-506-1959, 2020.seco@firenet.gov

Inciweb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6926/

New Mexico Fire Information: www.nmfireinfo.com

Facebook: Cibola National Forest & National Grasslands (@cibolanf) https://www.facebook.com/cibolanf/

Twitter: Cibola NF&Grasslands; (@Cibola_NF) https://twitter.com/cibola_nf?lang=en

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