Indios Fire Holding burns 11,500 acres near Coyote

Forest Service News:

Firefighters are 86% complete with the Indios Wildfire in the Coyote Ranger District, which has burned 11,500 acres to date, June 9, 2024. This wildfire was first reported on June 19 May 2024 and is 7 miles north of the village of Coyote. and burning in the wilderness of Rio Chama Canyon. The cause of the forest fire is lightning.

At 7 a.m. Monday, June 10, the Southwest Zone 4 Incident Management Team will transfer command of the Indios Fire to the Northern New Mexico Incident Management Team, led by the incident commander Luke McLarty. Team 4 expresses its sincere thanks to the local communities for their support, gratitude and hospitality throughout this incident. Thanks to successful firefighting efforts, 86% of goals are now met, and resources are either being demobilized back to their original units or reassigned to assist other wildfires across the country. Due to decreased fire activity, written updates will now be provided every other day.

Before they leave, Team 4 will host an open house from 4 to 6 p.m. today, June 9, in the conference room at Coronado High School, 1903 NM-9 in Gallina.

Details:

• Acres: 11,500
• Start date: May 19, 2024,
• Location: 7 miles north of the village of Coyote
• Staff: 321
• Completion: 86%
• Fuels: Wood

Operations:

The Indios Fire has now reached the point where percent completion (containment, point protection and monitoring objectives) and containment (where the fire can reasonably be expected to cease to spread) are aligned and no further fire growth is expected. Even though these percentages now align with 86%, progress will continue to be reported in terms of completion percentage throughout the incident. The remaining 14% is not officially reported as contained because no control measures are in place at the north end of the fire due to the steep, inaccessible terrain in the Chama River Canyon Wilderness.

Fire managers expect little to no fire spread in this area due to limited vegetation and rocky terrain. Large logs and stumps continue to smolder in some areas, but most of the lighter fuels have been consumed indoors. Firefighters completed repair and chipping work on Forest Roads 64 and 169. On the west side, crews continued road repairs using graders and bulldozers and installed water bars to minimize the erosion.

The south and east sides of the fire remained silent as crews conducted their daily patrols. Flight Operations conducted a reconnaissance flight early yesterday to familiarize the incoming incident management team with areas of interest on the other side of the fire.

Weather report:

Today, a high pressure system to the east will push thunderstorms toward the fire zone. With the increased risk of thunderstorms, temperatures are expected to be lower and humidity values ​​higher than the day before. Lower temperatures and greater chances of thunderstorms are expected for Monday. Conditions are expected to be warm and dry for the remainder of the week.

Smoke:

Minimal smoke impacts are expected for the foreseeable future. Lightly dispersed visible smoke will diminish over time. Smoke detectors have been installed and will remain in the communities of Coyote, Gallina, Cañones and at the Monastery of Christ in the Desert. View an interactive smoke map at https://fire.airnow.gov/. Learn more about the impacts of smoke on https://www.env.nm.gov/air-quality/fire-smoke-links/.

Closures:

The Santa Fe National Forest has issued an emergency closure of the area due to the Indios Fire. The complete closure order (n° 03-12-05-23-22) and the plan are available on Inciweb. Camping and water will be available at the Coyote Ranger Station for Continental Divide Trail hikers affected by this closure.

Security:

A Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) is in place over the area, which includes unmanned aircraft systems or drones. For more information on the dangers drones pose to wildfirefighting aircraft and ground personnel, see: Due to reduced aircraft use, the TFR will be lifted at 9 p.m. today June 9.

Visit inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-information/nmsnf-indios-wildfire / nmfireinfo.com 575.323.2290 / x.com/SantafeNF / facebook.com/santafeNF / [email protected].