Start Date / Time: May 20, 2024, approximately 3:45 p.m. Cause: Unknown, Under Investigation Size: 96 acres Location: 4 miles east of Cloudcroft Resources: 1 Hotshot Crew, 1 Type 2 Crew, multi-agency engines, Volunteer Fire Department Crews Types of vegetation in the area (aka fuels): Mixed Conifer Containment: 92% Strategy: Full Suppression Road Closures: None […]

Start Date / Time: May 20, 2024, approximately 3:45 p.m. Cause: Unknown, Under Investigation Size: 96 acres Location: 4 miles east of Cloudcroft Resources: 1 Hotshot Crew, 1 Type 2 Crew, multi-agency engines, Volunteer Fire Department Crews Types of vegetation in the area (aka fuels): Mixed Conifer Containment: 82% Strategy: Full Suppression Road Closures: None […]

Start Date / Time: May 20, 2024, approximately 3:45 p.m. Cause: Unknown, Under Investigation Size: 96 acres Location: 4 miles east of Cloudcroft Resources: 1 Hotshot Crew, 1 Type 2 Crew, multi-agency engines, Volunteer Fire Department Crews Types of vegetation in the area (aka fuels): Mixed Conifer Containment: 75% Strategy: Full Suppression Road Closures: None Smoke: Light Evacuations: […]

Update: Yesterday’s Red Flag conditions created increased smoke and fire activity from the Blue 2 Fire that is currently burning in the White Mountain Wilderness area. The fire size is currently estimated at 1,478 acres, but a heavy smoke layer makes an accurate estimate difficult. Crews remained on the fire throughout the night last night. […]

Start Date / Time: May 20, 2024, approximately 3:45 p.m. Cause: Unknown, Under Investigation Size: 96 acres Location: 4 miles east of Cloudcroft Resources: 2 Hotshot crews, 1 type-2 crew, 3 engines, 2 dozers Types of vegetation in the area (aka fuels): Mixed Conifer Containment: 65% Strategy: Full Suppression Road Closures: None Smoke: Light Evacuations: None, all residents […]

Update: The Blue fire continues to burn in a remote area of the White Mountain Wilderness. Crews are assessing existing trails to determine their suitability as containment lines. While crews work in the area, a closure order is in effect to ensure their safety. This area closure includes portions of the 107 Road on forest […]

Update: The Blue 2 Fire remains at approximately 48 acres and is burning within the White Mountain Wilderness in an area previously burned by the Little Bear fire in 2012. This area has mostly dead and down fuels in steep and rugged terrain with numerous snags in the area. A transfer of command from the […]

Start Date / Time: May 20, 2024, approximately 3:45 p.m. Cause: Unknown, Under Investigation Size: 96 acres Location: 4 miles east of Cloudcroft Resources: Firefighters from US Forest Service, Volunteer Fire Departments, BLM, State, 2-dozer, 1 helicopter, additional aviation resources (as needed) Types of vegetation in the area (aka fuels): Mixed Conifer Containment: 47% Strategy: Full Suppression Road […]

Start Date / Time: May 17, 2024, approximately 3:45 p.m. Cause: Lightning Size: Blue Fire:.5 acres Blue 2 Fire: 45 acres Location: White Mountain Wilderness Resources: Aerial and ground surveillance Types of vegetation in the area (aka fuels): Dead and dead/down trees Containment: 0% Tactic: Surveillance Road Closures: None Smoke: Light Evacuations: None Update: Based on aerial observations, […]

ALAMOGORDO, New Mexico, May 20, 2024—Lincoln National Forest crews are working alongside partner agency crews to respond to the Moser Fire, located approximately 4 miles east of Cloudcroft. Full-suppression tactics are being used and crews are working to protect nearby structures and assets, and several agencies are currently on-scene to assist. The fire is currently […]

Acres:  45 Acres Start Date:  May 17, 2024 Location:  White Mountain Wilderness Area Cause:  Lightning Containment: 0% Fuels:  Dead and down/dead standing trees ALAMOGORDO, N.M., May 20, 2024 – Based on aerial observations, the Blue Fire has not shown any growth and remains at .5 acres. The Blue 2 Fire is continuing to spread, at […]

APRIL 24 – Rest of Week – Crews currently working to secure control line along parameters.  Preparing for wind events through rest of week, all active burn plans are currently on pause. APRIL 23 Update – Crews currently working to secure control line along parameters.  Interior unburned pockets continue to burn out as daytime temperatures […]

UPDATE: All broadcast burn operations (87-acres) were completed on April 11. Crews will continue to monitor the area for hotspots. Expect smoky conditions to continue to clear throughout the day and weekend. This will be the final update for this prescribed burn, unless there is a significant development to report. UPDATE: Slash piles in the […]

3/14/24 UPDATE: The Padilla Point fire is now 100 percent contained. This morning, crews on the Smokey Bear Ranger District responded to a wildfire located on the Lincoln National Forest, near Padilla Point north of Capitan. The fire is currently 4.6 acres in size, and 25 percent contained. No structures or communities are threatened, and […]

The Lincoln National Forest is tentatively a broadcast prescribed burn on the Sacramento Ranger District from March 5-8, 2024. Crews will focus on 200 acres within the 16 Springs Project Area on March 5, with additional acres treated the following day depending on progress and weather conditions. There will be continued monitoring of the area […]

CAPITAN, New Mexico, August 29 2023 –  Crews from the Smokey Bear Ranger District are finishing work on the West Mountain Fire, a lightning-caused wildfire that began on August 3, 2023. The work completed is part of long-term goals in forest land management and wildfire mitigation efforts on the Lincoln National Forest. The West Mountain […]

Start Date / Time: August 3, 2023 Cause: Lightning Size: 601 Containment: 0% Location:  On West Mountain, Capitan Mountain Range, northeast of Capitan Fire Strategy: Confine and Contain Resources: 1 Handcrew, 1 Wildland Fire Module (WFM), 3 engines, 2 dozers, 2 masticators, 1 water tender. Total personnel: 85 Fire behavior: Low/Moderate fire behavior. Types of vegetation in the area […]