Wednesday, July 2, 2008

Firefighters contain all recent wildfires in area

Argen Duncan El Defensor Chieftain Reporter

ADUNCAN Firefighters have contained all recent wildfires in Socorro and Catron counties, and officials said no new ones had started as of Tuesday morning, July 1.

Cindy Wolfe, fire information officer for the U.S. Forest Service Magdalena Ranger District, reported two fires that started in her area since June 20 but both had been contained.

The Blue Springs Fire, which started Saturday in the Datil area and burned 5 acres, is contained and controlled, Wolfe said.

There is a fire line around the blaze, but fuel within the perimeter is still burning. Personnel are monitoring the hot spots to make sure they go out and the fire stays contained.

The San Mateo Fire, which was detected June 19 southwest of Magdalena, burned 0.7 acres and is 100 percent contained, Wolfe said. The blaze was classified as a "wildland fire use," meaning ranger district personnel used the naturally ignited fire for management purposes.

Wolfe said lookouts are still monitoring the San Mateo Fire for smoke, and will address the situation if they see any.

"Everything else looks really good," she said.

However, if the area sees more thunderstorms, Wolfe said, the possibility of new fires exists, depending on the amount of dry lightning.

New Mexico Forestry Division Fire Management Officer Jack Dickey said all fires under the division's management in Socorro County were contained. There were no fires in Catron County.

Personnel are still patrolling the sites of past Socorro County fires.

"We just want to make sure there are no active fires," Dickey said.

Lann Moore, U.S. Bureau of Land Management district prescribed fire specialist, said all fires his agency handled were contained and controlled.

Since June 20, the "Highway 380 Fire" burned 2,680 acres east of the White Sands Missile Range Stallion Site entrance. Multiple smaller blazes also started in far eastern Socorro County, with the largest, the Cat Fire, charring 100 acres. Moore said lightning caused all the fires, and all are contained and controlled.

Dickey, Moore and Wolfe emphasized that people need to use caution with fireworks over the coming holiday weekend. Moore said recent rains have been spotty, with some areas getting good moisture and some getting none.

Wolfe said the public acts as the rangers' "eyes and ears" when a fire starts. She also believes the ranger district has seen no human-caused fires because people obey the fire restrictions.

"So it's a hats off to the community and the visiting public," she said.

aduncan@dchieftain.com

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