Buck Fire burns over 57k acres

Fire crews continued their battle against the Buck Fire on Monday evening, focusing efforts along the Shaw Canyon access road on the fire’s northeastern perimeter. According to the National Interagency Fire Center, as of Wednesday morning the fire was reported to be at 25% containment.

The fire, which is located around Pelona Mountain, west of Winston, southwest of Magdalena and Datil, and southeast of Aragon, began on June 11 at approximately 7:30 p.m., and is believed to have been caused by lightning. As of Wednesday morning, the fire size was 57,736 acres and had 330 personnel involved in its containment.

Firefighters worked late into the night Monday to prevent further eastern spread, while night crews remained on-site to monitor for hotspots and maintain containment lines. Personnel remind civilians that drones and other unmanned aircraft pose a serious risk to firefighters and can cause their air operations to cease.

On Tuesday, firefighters shifted their focus to preparing fire lines and reinforcing existing containment areas, aiming to limit further growth as hot, dry conditions persist. A Red Flag Warning has been issued for Tuesday noon to 9 p.m., with weather forecasts predicting continued high temperatures, low humidity, and the potential for gusty, erratic outflow winds. The risk of lightning remains a concern and could contribute to new fire starts or flare-ups within the incident zone.

Smoke may be visible from Highway 12 southeast of the community of Aragon and southwest of Highway 60. Smoke-sensitive individuals and people with respiratory problems or heart disease are encouraged to take precautionary measures.