Mountainair Ranger District to Implement Prescribed Fire Operations As Early as May 28

MOUNTAINAIR, NM – May 27, 2023 – Fire Managers on the Cibola National Forest & National Grasslands (NF & NGs) plan to conduct previously announced prescribed fire operations on the Mountainair Ranger District. Ignitions are planned to start as early as Sunday May 28 and could continue thru Wed May 31.

Ignition will depend upon agency administrator approval and conditions within the ranges outlined in the prescribed fire plan. Optimal conditions will result in effective smoke ventilation and dispersal and help achieve the desired effects needed to accomplish the burn plan objectives. 

Crews are preparing for burning on:

Mountainair Ranger District – Chato RX Fire: 219 acres on the Red Canyon Restoration Project. The burn unit is located north of FR 253 along the forest boundary and just west of Manzano Land Grant. Smoke may be visible in the surrounding areas of Mountainair, Punta de Agua, Manzano, the Estancia Valley or west Manzano communities of Rio Communities, Belen or Los Lunas. See Map

Our land management strategy is centered on long-term forest health, including reducing forest fuels and using prescribed fire on the landscape. Prescribed fires are intended to reduce hazardous fuels that have accumulated due to drought, climate change, insects and disease, and decades of fire suppression.

With fire there is smoke, but firefighters take measures to reduce smoke impacts as much as possible. Fire crews use tactics such as starting early in the day and ending ignitions early in the afternoon to allow for the most ventilation possible throughout the burn. Smoke may settle into drainages and lower elevations at night, but is expected to dissipate by late morning, as daytime temperatures increase. Information on air quality and protecting your health can be found online at the www.airnow.gov/

Implementation announcements and updates on prescribed fire projects will be posted on InciWeb, New Mexico Fire Information and on the Cibola NF & NGs website, Cibola Facebook and Cibola Twitter sites.

Mountainair District Office: 505-847-2990

Cibola National Forest and National Grasslands Supervisor’s Office: 505-346-3900

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