August 17, 2023 
Location: On the north side of New Mexico Highway 511, approximately one mile south of the Colorado border. The area is entirely on BLM-managed lands.
Reported start date: Aug. 13, 2023 at 7 p.m.
Size: Approximately 5 acres
Containment: Zero percent containment
Cause: Lightning strike.
Vegetation: Piñon-juniper
Fire Behavior: The Rim Fire is exhibiting creeping and smoldering behavior within dead and down and jackpot fuels.
Resources: The Bureau of Land Management responded to this effort along with two contracted 20-person crews.
Safety: The health and safety of firefighters and the public are always the priority. Members of the public should avoid stopping when passing by the Rim Fire.
Smoke: Smoke will be visible from Ignacio, Colo., Navajo Dam, N.M. and N.M. Highway 511. 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 is available online at the New Mexico Department of Health (NMDOH) Environmental Public Health Tracking (EPHT) website nmtracking.org
Weather: Today: Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly after 5pm. High temperature in upper 80s. Chance of precipitation is 40 percent. For more weather information, visit https://www.weather.gov/ .
Additional Information: By following local management plans, fire managers are managing the naturally ignited lightning fire to benefit wildlife habitat. The objectives are to allow this fire to continue smoldering to reduce the amount of encroaching piñon-juniper woodlands and promote the abundance of mountain mahogany and Gambel’s oak for wildlife habitat during the winter months. On Aug. 16, crews prepared control lines and will use existing roads for firing operations today. Crews will burn out from control lines.
For More Info: NMFireInfo.com or NMFireInfo on Facebook
Media: trigby@blm.gov, 505-264-5699
NM Fire Info 
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