May 7, 2022 
Magdalena Ranger District – San Mateo Mountains
Incident Command: New Mexico Albuquerque Type 3 Team Reported start date / time: May 1, 2022 – 1200 Cause: Undetermined Size: 4,406 acres Containment: 0%. Fuels: Pine, Pinyon-Juniper and Grass Resources on scene: 193
Location: Bear Trap Canyon, San Mateo Mountains, Magdalena Ranger District, Cibola National Forest & National Grasslands (NF & NGs). Socorro County, NM.
Fire behavior: The Bear Trap Fire is exhibiting moderate fire behavior with isolated torching.
Weather: Temperatures today will be in the mid-80s with humidity in the single digits for long periods, sunny and drought conditions. Northwest winds are 15-20 mph increasing to 20-25 in the afternoon with gusts as high as 40 mph. Tonight forecast: Clear skies with a low around 51, West wind 25-30 mph decreasing to 15-20 after midnight. Red Flag Warning in effect May 7th from 11 am until 10 pm and again May 8th 10 am until 10 pm due to strong winds, low humidity, near record warmth and a very unstable atmosphere. https://www.weather.gov/.
Values at risk: At this time, the fire is not a threat to any communities, and there are no evacuations in effect.
Area Closure Order: An Area, Road and Trail Closure has been in effect for the Bear Trap Fire per Order 03-0726 effective May 3rd at 5:00 pm until Sept 1st or until rescinded, whichever occurs first.
Stage 2 Fire Restriction: On April 28th, based on high fire danger and severe fire weather conditions, the Cibola NF & NGs implemented Stage 2 Fire Restrictions across all districts. fs.usda.gov/alerts/cibola/alerts-notices
Safety: The health and safety of firefighters and the public are always the first priority. Members of the public should stay away from Bear Trap Fire operations.
Drones pose a serious risk to firefighting and can cause air operations to cease. The public is reminded that “If you fly, we can’t!”
Smoke may be visible in the surrounding areas of Alamo, Datil, Magdalena, Socorro and San Antonio, NM. 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 nmtracking.org. An interactive smoke map is available at https://fire.airnow.gov/, which allows you to zoom into areas to see the latest smoke conditions. All Bear Trap Fire updates will be posted on the InciWeb https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/8093/
For more information on Bear Trap Fire contact:
Magdalena Ranger District Office: 575-854-2281
Cibola National Forest and National Grasslands Supervisor’s Office: 505-346-3900.
# # #
USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender
NM Fire Info 
Comments are closed.