Hermits Peak and Calf Canyon Fires June 8, 2022, Daily Update

June 8, 2022 by SFNFPIO 0 Comments

Acres: 318,599 | Containment: 65% | Total personnel: 2,773 |Start Date: Hermits Peak: April 6, 2022; Calf Canyon: April 19, 2022 | Cause: Hermits Peak: Spot fires from prescribed burn; Calf Canyon: Holdover fire from prescribed pile burn | Location: Located near Gallinas Canyon | Fuels: Heavy mixed conifer, ponderosa pine, brush, and grass

Highlights: Scattered afternoon thunderstorms could pose a hazard to firefighters and the public today with a potential for flash flooding. The safety of incident firefighters remains the top priority of fire officials and fire personnel will adjust tactics to ensure safety is prioritized in changing conditions.

Property owners whose properties have sustained damage from fire suppression activities are asked to fill out the online Property Owner Suppression Repair Survey: https://tinyurl.com/suppressionrepair. If you are in an evacuated area and don’t know if your property was damaged in active fire suppression, we still encourage you to complete this form which will assist fire officials and the county in evaluating properties and contacting property owners.

Operations:

North Zone (PNW2): Yesterday, crews continued construction of contingency lines from Ripley Point west to Hodges Campground and down to Forest Road 207, and have been working to connect firelines into the Borrego Fire burn scar. Heavy equipment continued work on the shaded fuelbreak southwest of Angel Fire, from Pot Creek near NM Highway 518 on the west to the private land boundary near Black Lake on NM Highway 434 and north to NM Highway 64. Feller-bunchers are working in the area to thin trees in the 100-300’ wide fuelbreak and dozers are creating a path to get the logs off the forest and into surrounding communities to be used as fuelwood/firewood. Operators are able to complete about one mile a day and this work is expected to continue for several more days. On the east side of the fire, suppression repair efforts near Guadalupita continue today as crews work to naturalize firelines and construct water bars on steep slopes to minimize resource damage during forecasted flash flooding.
This is the last operational shift for Pacific Northwest Team 2 and Southwest Incident Management Team 1 will be taking over command of the North Zone of the fire at 6:00 p.m. today.

South Zone (SWIMT2): Winds have been favorable for successful firing operations, and aircraft have been able to drop retardant along the control lines to reinforce these efforts. With cooler temperatures and higher humidity, minimal fire growth is expected today. Most crews will be removed from the Pecos Wilderness ahead of incoming forecasted weather. From Iron Gate Campground to Beatty’s Cabin, control lines are in place, and hoses are laid and primed with water should they be needed. Line is complete from Hamilton Mesa to the Trampas Fire (2002) burn scar below the confluence of Rio Valdez and Rio Mora and north of Beatty’s Cabin to the divide. Firefighters will remain in the Cowles and Geronimo area and structure protection measures, including sprinkler systems and control lines, are in place. Suppression repair work remains the focus around other areas of the fire perimeter, which aims to return the environment to a more natural state and prevent erosion.

Evacuations: To view real-time evacuation information around the Hermits Peak and Calf Canyon Fires, visit: tinyurl.com/HermitsPeak for the evacuation map. The Ready, Set, Go evacuation guide is available in English and Spanish here: https://tinyurl.com/RSGNM

Weather: Scattered thunderstorms are predicted across the fire area today with winds out of the south bringing increased cloud cover and a potential for flash flooding and lightning. Temperatures will remain warm in the mid-70s to low 80s with lighter sustained winds of 10 mph and gusts to 20. Relative humidity will increase today between 29-70% and remain elevated with thunderstorms predicted to continue tomorrow.

Closures and Restrictions: All National Forests in New Mexico have closures or restrictions in place due to extreme fire danger. To learn more about these closures and restrictions, visit: https://tinyurl.com/bdy5y99r. Information related to fire restrictions across public and private land can be found at: https://nmfireinfo.com/fire-restrictions/.

After Fire Flooding and Recovery Resources: After Wildfire New Mexico guide https://www.afterwildfirenm.org/ | Hermits Peak & Calf Canyon Fire Burned Area Emergency Response information https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/8104/.

Smoke: An interactive smoke map at fire.airnow.gov/ allows you to zoom into your area to see the latest smoke conditions.

Fire Information: Office Hours: 8:00 AM – 8:00 PM | Phone: 505-356-2636 | Email: 2022.hermitspeak@firenet.gov