On Sunday a 900 acres forest fire was unleashed in an area that meteorologists have warned for months that would experience a risk of forest fire superior to normal.
Witnesses reported Iron’s fire around noon on Sunday in the Iron Mesa area, in Gila’s desert. The fire occurred during a red alert in the area due to the drought and wind bursts greater than 64 km/h.
The fire started in a remote area inside the scar that left the Whitewater Baldy fire in 2012 and is burning grass, a large number of dead trees and fallen fuel and wood, according to an update of the Gila National Forest.
A spokesman for the Gila National Forest said Monday afternoon that a formal update on the fire was not expected until Monday night, but that the conditions are improving.
“We have not seen significant growth today, with cloudy skies, lower temperatures and much softer winds. It even snowed a little on the fire this morning,” spokeswoman Maribeth Pecotte wrote by email.
No house is under the order of evacuation, Gila’s forest authorities reported in an update, although the eviction of those who are in the Snow Lake recreational facilities was ordered. In addition, rescue equipment is evaluating whether it is necessary to protect structures in the Willow Creek area, Pecotte added.
-Almost 50 people are responding to the fire, including two helicopters, two tank trucks and two rescue equipment. Two more teams are on their way, along with four additional tank trucks. Sunday’s strong winds prevented helicopters from gathering water in the nearby Snow, according to the forest service.
Until Monday morning, last update, the fire was contained in 0%. Its cause is unknown.
The fire occurs in an area where the snow layer is well below normal, including some areas in southwest New Mexico where it is 0% of the average snow layer that accumulated there between 1991 and 2020.
According to the National Forest Fire forecast of the May Integential Fire Center, which cites drought and other factors, all southwest of New Mexico should expect fire conditions higher than normal. However, the forecast for much of the rest of the State has improved normality, according to the forecast.
In addition to the dangerous conditions, more than 25 people who work in the National Forest of Gila were fired earlier this year as part of the federal measures of expenses. It is not clear how many of them returned to work due to federal orders or how many are on administrative license.
The Silver City inter -institutional dispatch center, which responded to Iron’s fire and handled communications and resource orders, is located in a building on a list of federal lease terminations identified by the so -called “Government Efficiency Department.” The Office of the American Senator Martin Heinrich previously told Source New Mexico that he had received “guarantees” that the office centers would remain open, but has not yet received official information.
