Black Fire Daily Update – June 7, 2022

Firefighters Continue to Work Around the Clock to Fully Suppress the Black Fire

New Road Closures are Listed Below

Personnel: 893

Fuels: Timber and tall grass                                                                       

Structures Lost: 2

New Road Closures: New Mexico Highway 59 will remain closed to traffic from Forest Road 150 to New Mexico Highway 52 between the hours of 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. to provide safety for firefighters working along the roadway. The New Mexico Highway 59 will be open to traffic between the hours of 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m. A portion of the Gila National Forest affected by the fire has been closed.

To learn about the current evacuation status for the Black Fire, please access the real-time, interactive evacuation map. or contact your local jurisdiction’s emergency management agencies.

The fire management strategy for the Black Fire is 100% full suppression. Firefighters are creating fire line by hand and using bulldozers while air resources drop water on the fire. Water drops are delay tactics to cool the temperature of the fire to allow firefighters to work along the fire’s edge. Firefighters are also doing structure protection, which incudes reducing vegetation around structures and setting up sprinkler systems; in the event these are needed. Firefighters continue to work during the nighttime near the most active part of the fire in the East Mimbres Valley and Las Animas areas. In addition to the above activities, aircraft is being used for recon missions and aerial ignitions to remove fuels to slow the progression of the fire. The contained portions of the fire will be monitored and patrolled by firefighters on the ground and in the air. There is a lot of fire traffic around the fire area, so please be cautious when driving in the areas.

Weather: Dry weather with hot temperatures will prevail over the fire today, with relative humidity falling into the low teens to single digits. The winds will continue to be breezy out of the southwest, with poor overnight humidity recoveries. Winds will become more terrain driven on Wednesday as high pressure moves into the region.

Aviation Restrictions: A Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) over the Black Fire restricts non-fire aircraft. This includes civilian drones. Unauthorized aircraft in the area can ground firefighting aircraft, hinder firefighting efforts, and can also result in criminal charges for the offender.

Fire Restrictions: Know Before You Go! The public can obtain current state and federal fire restriction information across New Mexico at NM Fire Info | Fire Restrictions  or at NM Forestry Division state-wide fire restrictions: https://www.emnrd.nm.gov/sfd/find-current-fire-restrictions/

More Information:

• InciWeb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/8103/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GilaNForest
• New Mexico Fire information: https://nmfireinfo.com/                          
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/gilanforest
• New Mexico Road Information: www.nmroads.com/
• Smoke Outlook Report:  https://outlooks.airfire.org/outlook/dde9ec52
• Sierra County: https://www.sierraco.org/department/emergency-management/
• Catron County: https://www.catroncounty.us/departments/fire_chief/
• Grant County: https://grantcountynm.gov/departments/emergency-management/
• Firewise: https://www.emnrd.nm.gov/sfd/fire-prevention-programs/firewise-usa/