Cooks Peak Fire – Mora County – April 21, 2022, Afternoon Update

The Cooks Peak Fire, located on private land north of Ocate in Mora County, is now estimated at 21,200 acres and 0% containment. Winds will continue to be a major factor in fire growth today as firefighters work to gain ground creating additional fire lines. Firefighting aircraft will only fly when it is safe to do so. The Mora County Sheriff’s Office initiated additional evacuations of residents along NM Highway 120 and added more road closures from mile markers 14 to 26. Previous closures remain in place. All remaining residents nearest to the fire are urged to be ready to evacuate if the situation changes.

• The Type 3 organization managing the Cooks Peak Fire will transition to a Type 2 Incident Management Team (IMT) this afternoon (04/21). The Type 2 IMT will take over full operations Friday, April 22 at 6:00 a.m.
• The Mora and Colfax County Sheriff’s Offices are using the Ready, Set, Go! program for evacuation status. The following areas are in Go! status In Mora County, which means these areas are under mandatory evacuations: all residences on NM Highway 120 from mile marker 14 to 26 and areas east of County Road CR009 and north of NM Highway 120. Areas in Set! status that must be prepared to evacuate include all residences from mile marker 14 to mile marker 7 and Los Febres, and areas west of County Road CR009. In Colfax County, the communities of Sweet Water, Rayado, Sunny Side, and Miami are in Ready! status. This means residents must be prepared to leave immediately if a full evacuation is necessary. Additional information can be found on the Mora County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/moracountysheriffoffice.

Evacuation Centers: Memorial Middle School in Las Vegas, Wagon Mound Public Schools, and Mora Schools are available for evacuees if needed.

Livestock: The American Legion Pavilion in Mora, Colfax County Fairgrounds, and Cimarron County Fairgrounds are available for evacuated horses and livestock. The State Land Office is also offering a pasture for large animals displaced by the fire. Contact Livestock Inspector, Matthew Romero at 575-643-6805 for more information.

Closures: CR009 and Highway 120 from milepost 14 to the 26, and the junction of HWY 120 and HWY 442 are closed. Additional road closures may be necessary and drivers are urged to obey law enforcement and all traffic signage.

Smoke: Smoke may settle into low-lying areas in communities north and east of the fire, especially at night. Individuals sensitive to wildfire smoke should take precautions and use the New Mexico Department of Health 5-3-1 Visibility Method to determine if it’s safe to be outside. Learn more at https://nmtracking.org/environment/air/FireAndSmoke.html.  An interactive smoke map at https://fire.airnow.gov/ allows you to zoom into your area to see the latest smoke conditions.

Fire information will be posted to the following websites.

NM Fire Info: www.nmfireinfo.com

InciWeb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/8061/

Donation Information: New Mexico Red Cross 505-265-8514

Start Date & Time: 4/17/22 @ 1615

Start Location: Ocate off of HWY 120 Canada Bonita

Latitude: 36.24352

Longitude: -105.03793

Cause of Fire:  Under investigation

Area Vegetation: Grass, pinon, juniper, ponderosa pine, and mixed conifer

Estimated Acres Burned: 21,200

Ownership(s): Private, state, BLM

Structures Threatened: Yes

Structures Burned: No

Evacuations: Yes

Wendy Mason
Wildfire Prevention & Communications Coordinator
Energy, Minerals & Natural Resources Dept. (EMNRD)
Forestry Division
wendy.mason@state.nm.us