SILVER CITY, NM, June 18, 2014, 2:00 p.m.-
Several thunderstorms passed through southwest New Mexico yesterday
afternoon, peppering the Gila area with 1,700 to 2,000 lightning strikes and
leaving only traces of rain. Dispatchers and fire personnel are busy with
numerous fire reports, most of which involve only a single burning snag and less
than a quarter acre. Fire starts are located across the Gila National Forest
and currently total 14. Engine crews, hotshot crews, smokejumpers, helicopter
crews and air tankers have been responding to all smoke reports. The Star Fire
is the largest at approximately 5 acres and is located 6 miles south of Wall
Lake in the Gila Wilderness. The fire is burning in Ponderosa pine and is
staffed with 3 smokejumpers, a hotshot crew, a helitack crew and three air
tankers. The storms did not produce significant rain and most remote weather
stations across the forest reported only trace amounts of moisture.
While the Silver City area enjoyed a brief rain shower
yesterday, fire officials remain concerned about the high fire potential that
continues at all elevations. “We encourage all forest visitors to continue fire
safe practices, adhering to current fire restrictions which limit campfires to
developed campgrounds with agency-provided metal rings and fully extinguishing
their fires,” states Gabe Holguin, Fire Staff, “We need to keep the number of
human-ignited fires to a minimum.” Fireworks of any kind are never permitted on
Federal Public lands.
In addition to highly trained local wildfire fire personnel,
the Gila National Forest is hosting wildland firefighters from the Northern
Rockies and Pacific Northwest regions who are assisting in suppression efforts.
Gila fire personnel will travel to these regions in the late summer to return
support for their fire efforts.
Please contact the Gila National Forest at 575-388-8201 for
any other information.
-USFS-
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