Silver Fire - 90,217 acres

Acres:  90,217
Cause:  Lightning
Start Date: June 7, 2013                          
Containment:  20%
Location: vicinity of Kingston, NM          
Fuels: Timber
Total personnel: 705
Terrain: steep, rugged

Public Meeting Friday at the Upper Mimbres Volunteer Fire Department Station 2 (Thunderbird) 6 p.m.

Today’s Actions:   Full suppression efforts will continue today. Significant fire activity is expected today; as weather conditions will be hot, dry and unstable. The fuels in the fire area are critically dry and the fire is expected to keep moving toward the north, east of the Forest Trail No. 307 (Crest Trail).

Crews remain focused on the west flank of the fire. Burnout operations will be conducted south of McKnight Road, and east of the Crest Trail, south of Spud Patch Trail to minimize fire effects to the upper North Seco Watershed.  Helicopter water drops continue on the west perimeter, utilizing all possible hours of allotted flight time.  Minimal fire activity today is expected on the east side, as the fire is reaching lighter fuels in the lower elevation.  Fire personnel continue to monitor the east flank of the fire to detect any hot spots.  The area around Kingston and State Highway 152 remains secure.  The north perimeter of the fire as of 10:00 p.m. last night was in North Seco Canyon, south of Marshall Spring.

THERE ARE CURENTLY NO EVACUATIONS AND NO STRUCTURES HAVE BURNED.  The fire is approximately 3 miles southwest of Hermosa and 16 miles southwest of Winston.  Firefighters completed structure protection in Hermosa, and have moved their efforts to the Cooney and Bloodgood area. Firefighters have completed structure protection at the McKnight Cabin.

Access to Silver City is open.  Businesses along New Mexico State Highways 15 and 35 remain open, all the way to the Gila Cliff Dwellings. The majority of the Gila National Forest is open for recreational opportunities with Stage One fire restrictions in effect. For more information on restrictions, go to firerestrictions.us. There is an emergency closure in place for the fire area. For more information about the fire closure go to http://www.fs.usda.gov/gila .

Today’s weather: Today the area will experience westerly winds. Temperature will be in the mid to upper 90’s, with a few more clouds expected. Relative humidity will be between 5-8%.

Smoke: Smoke will be seen in the Mimbres Valley and the communities of Hillsboro and Kingston. Smoke could extend across a wide area from Silver City south towards Deming and along the I-10 corridor towards Las Cruces.   Information on wildland fire smoke and your health can be found on the New Mexico Department of Health's website at https://nmtracking.org/fire.

Road Closure:  NM Highway 152 is closed from Kingston to San Lorenzo.  For additional information go to www.nmroads.com.

For additional fire information, visit the following websites: www.facebook.com/SilverFireNM
www.flickr.com/gilaforest         www.twitter.com/SilverFireNM