FINAL UPDATE on Antelope and Cottonwood Creek Wildfires on Mountainair and Mt. Taylor Ranger Districts

ALBUQUERQUE, NM, June 16, 2024 – This will be the final news release on the Mountainair Ranger District Antelope Fire and the Mt. Taylor Ranger District Cottonwood Creek Fire unless conditions warrant additional information.

Mountainair Ranger District: Antelope Fire
Reported Date / Time: June 14, 2024 / 1421
Cause: Lightning
Size: 1.5 acres                                              
Containment: 100%
Location: The fire is burning off FSR 161 in Pinatosa Canyon within Gallinas Mountain of the Mountainair Ranger District on the Cibola National Forest.
Resources on scene: 2 USFS Engines – Mountainair 642 and West Virginia 641.
Strategy: Full suppression.
Fire Operations: Yesterday fire crews completed containment lines and held the 1.5-acre footprint. Today, firefighters will continue to monitor and patrol containment lines and mop up for remaining hot spots.
Fuels: Dead & down timber and grass.
Values at risk: there are no threats to communities, infrastructure, or values at risk.
Residual Smoke may be visible from FSR 161 & 99.

Mt. Taylor Ranger District: Cottonwood Creek Fire
Reported Date / Time: June 14, 2024 / 1309
Cause: Lightning.        
Size: 38 acres                                               
Containment: 0%
Location: 12 mile west of Bluewater Lake and 9 mile south of I40 in the Zuni Mountains of the Mt. Taylor Ranger District on the Cibola National Forest.
Resources on scene: 3 hand crews from USFS & BLM and 1 USFS Engine 623.
Strategy: Full suppression.
Fire Operations: Yesterday fire crews held the 35-acre footprint. Today, firefighters will continue to patrol containment lines and mop up.
Fuels: Ponderosa Pine and Pinyon-Juniper.
Values at risk: there are no threats to communities, infrastructure, or values at risk.
Residual Smoke may be visible from Bluewater Lake and south of I-40 in the surrounding areas of Thoreau.

Safety: The health and safety of firefighters and the public are always the highest priority. Please avoid the area while crews conduct fire operations on the Antelope and Cottonwood Creek Wildfires.

Drones pose a serious risk to firefighting and can cause air operations to cease.
The public is reminded that “If you fly, we can’t!”

Weather in Central NM for June 16, 2024: Today:Sunny and hot, with a high near 99. Light and variable wind becoming south 5 to 10 mph in the afternoon. Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 62. South wind 5 to 10 mph becoming southeast after midnight. https://www.weather.gov/