Magdalena Ranger District Fire Danger Rating Updated to HIGH

Cibola National Forest & National Grasslands Fire Danger Ratings TODAY
Black Kettle Ranger District: Moderate
Kiowa and Rita Blanca Ranger District: Moderate
Magdalena Ranger District: HIGH (Rating Update)
Mount Taylor Ranger District: Moderate
Sandia Ranger District: Moderate
Mountainair Ranger District: Moderate

With hotter, drier conditions forecasted and fire indices rising we want to remind our visitors to recreate responsibly. It takes only one abandoned campfire in the wrong place at the wrong time to put human lives, natural resources and property at risk. If you plan to gather family and friends around a campfire, please do it safely by following Smokey Bear’s campfire safety procedures https://smokeybear.com/en/prevention-how-tos/campfire-safety If you need a visual, watch this Forest Service video on https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=10&v=9mlsuIQ96oo

Build your campfire in an area cleared of vegetation. Never abandon or leave a campfire unattended. Always have plenty of water and a shovel nearby. When it’s time to leave, extinguish your campfire by drowning and stirring until it’s the consistency of a mud pie and cold to the touch.

The Fire Danger Rating is calculated by measuring the dryness of wood, grass and other combustible material, weather conditions and the terrain. The combination of these factors results in one of five fire danger levels: low, moderate, high, very high and extreme.

Fire managers consider several factors when elevating the fire danger level. Data from Remote Weather Stations (RAWS) located across the forest and grasslands are aggregated together, producing the Energy Release Component (ERC). As live fuels cure and dead fuels dry, the ERC will increase and can be described as a build-up index. Each daily calculation considers the past 7 days in calculating the new number. Fire managers and planners have found that the ERC can be used as a decision tool to prepare for an approaching fire season. This data is evaluated in addition to the number of human-caused fires, red flag and critical fire days.

All Cibola NF & NGs fire information will be posted on the Cibola NF & NGs website and New Mexico Fire Information website.

https://www.fs.usda.gov/cibola