Crews Contain Two Fires Near Taos, Navajo Lake

Fire crews contained two wildfires on the Carson National Forest today:

• Dew Point Fire (Near Taos, left photo): This fire that was showing smoke and visible to Taos and the surrounding communities this morning was caused by lightning and fully contained to a tenth-acre.
• Eul Fire (Near Navajo Lake, right photo): Another lightning-caused wildfire, this one at a quarter-acre, was fully contained to crews assigned to the nearby Middle Mesa Fire.

Crews will continue to work the fires until they are fully controlled and called out.

WHY NOT USE A WATER-DROPPING HELICOPTERS?

A handful of commenters on the Carson National Forest Facebook page today asked why a water-dropping helicopter was not used on the Dew Point Fire. With each new fire start, fire managers assess risk to identify safe and appropriate management actions. Considering recent rain, high humidity, observed fire behavior and low fire danger in this part of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, the safest response was to hike in from the South Boundary Trail.

Aircraft are powerful force multipliers in wildfire response, but their use contains a high risk. While rare, an aircraft crash would be catosrophic, especially if used in a response to a fire that has little to no risk of significantly spreading. If and when there is a need, fire managers will put in orders for air support, just like they did in the Tusas Fire a couple weeks ago, when conditions made fire behavior more intense.

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