June 16, 2022 
June 16, 2022 Daily Update
SOUTHWEST AREA
INCIDENT MANAGEMENT TEAM
TEAM 4 – AARON HULBURD – INCIDENT COMMANDER
Acres: 320,971 acres
Containment: 48%
Total Personnel: 1,226
Cause: Human-caused, under investigation
Start Date: Friday, May 13, 2022
Location: 31 miles NW of Truth or Consequences, NM
Fuels: Timber and tall grass
Highlights: The Southwest Area Type 2 Incident Management Team 4 will host a community meeting tonight, Thursday, June 16, at 6:00 PM at the Hillsboro Community Center, 316 Elenora Street in Hillsboro, NM.
To learn about the current evacuation status for the Black Fire, please access the real-time, interactive evacuation map or contact your local emergency management office for Sierra County, Catron County, and Grant County.
Operations: Successful firefighting efforts have resulted in additional containment along the northern perimeter of the fire near Lookout Mountain. Aerial resources are assisting firefighters on the ground by dropping water on hot spots, conducting reconnaissance missions, and strategically igniting vegetation to reduce fire intensity. A helicopter dropped additional water buckets on the 40-acre “slopover” to cool the fire inside the control line. As it continues to move through the Gila Wilderness, the fire is most active in a deep drainage near Hillsboro Lookout within the 2013 Silver Fire burned area. After securing the protective wrap around the historic Hillsboro cabin, firefighters used aerial ignitions to slowly consume fuel between the edge of the advancing fire and the metal lookout tower. These operations produced a low intensity fire that successfully created a protective buffer around the Hillsboro Lookout. In Kingston, firefighters installed 60 sprinkler kits to help protect this community by wetting the area and raising the humidity levels surrounding the structures. Nightshift crews are also clearing excess vegetation around structures in case the fire moves in this direction. Firefighters are working in Ladder Ranch to repair the evidence of suppression activities where fire line was constructed as a contingency measure. New Mexico Highway 152 will remain closed due to the active fire behavior near Hillsboro Lookout. Firefighter and public safety continue to be the highest priority over all other incident objectives.
Weather: Enough moisture moves back into the area this afternoon for a chance of dry thunderstorms. The thunder threat will last well into the nighttime hours tonight. Increasing thunderstorm chances are expected through the weekend as the storms transition from dry to more wet. Expect breezy southeast winds through Sunday. Heavy rain from thunderstorms may result in flash flood risk over the weekend.
Closures: Highway 152 is currently closed from milepost 40 (Kingston) to milepost 15 (San Lorenzo). No public entry is allowed. A portion of the Gila National Forest affected by the fire has been closed.
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 NM Forestry Division state-wide fire restrictions.
Safety: The health and safety of firefighters and the public is always the top priority. Members of the public should stay away from Black Fire operations. A Temporary Flight Restriction is in place over the Black Fire area, which includes unmanned aircraft, or drones. More information on the dangers drones pose to wildland firefighting aircraft and personnel on the ground can be found at: https://www.nifc.gov/drones/.
Smoke: Smoke from the Black Fire may be visible in the surrounding areas of Mimbres, Kingston, Hillsboro, and San Lorenzo, 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 at the New Mexico Department of Health Environmental Public Health Tracking website: nmtracking.org. An interactive smoke map at https://fire.airnow.gov/ allows you to zoom into your area to see the latest smoke conditions. For additional information, please view the Black Fire Smoke Report.
Fire updates are posted on InciWeb, the Gila National Forest Facebook and Twitter pages, and NM Fire Information.
Email: 2022.black@firenet.gov • Phone: (575)-249-1264 • Office Hours: 8:00 AM – 8:00 PM
NM Fire Info 
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