Cuervito Fire Update May 27, 2021

Start date: May 9, 2021

Cause: Lightning

Location: 9 miles east of Pecos and 3 miles southwest of the Barillas Lookout on the Pecos/Las Vegas Ranger District of the Santa Fe National Forest (SFNF)

Size: 1,621 acres after implementing management strategy to add low- to moderate-intensity fire to the ground to achieve resource benefit and reduce the risk of high-severity wildfire in the future.  

Resources: 1 Type 2 hand crew and 2 engines

Fuels:  Ponderosa pine, piñon-juniper, Douglas fir and oak brush

Operations: Low- to moderate-intensity flames pushing through the interior of the Cuervito Fire continue to find unburned pockets of dry fuels. Today, the fire put up more smoke as it burned through the buildup of woody debris on the ground. Firefighters are patrolling the control lines and continuing to mop up.

Weather: A moist backdoor cold front may move in tonight with a chance for showers and thunderstorms each afternoon and evening through the middle of next week. Friday will have a 50% chance of precipitation with scattered thunderstorms in the afternoon. Winds tonight will be in the 10 to 15 mph range out of the north.

Values at risk: Private property nearby

Smoke:  Smoke management is a key part of the planning and implementation of managed wildfire. Smoke from the Cuervito Fire may impact Santa Fe, Pecos, Las Vegas, Rowe, Glorieta, La Cueva, North and South San Ysidro, Ilfeld, San Jose, San Juan, Tecolote, Soham, Ribera, Serafina, Bernal, Anton Chico, Mineral Hill, San Geronimo and Pablo as well as the I-25 from the Caja Fire is likely to be visible from Santa Fe to Los Alamos and along the I-25 corridor and the 599 Bypass, mingling with smoke from the Medio Fire and multiple fires burning in adjacent states. An interactive smoke map at https://fire.airnow.gov/ allows you to zoom into the Santa Fe area to see the latest smoke information.

Safety: The health and safety of firefighters and the public are always the first priority. Smoke-sensitive individuals and people with respiratory problems or heart disease are encouraged to take precautionary measures. Information on air quality and protecting your health can be found online at the New Mexico Department of Health (NMDOH) Environmental Public Health Tracking (EPHT) website at https://nmtracking.org/fire.

Fire updates will be posted on the SFNF website, New Mexico Fire Information website and on the Santa Fe National Forest Facebook page and Twitter @SantafeNF.

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