MIMBRES, NM; May 13, 2016 - Today's flight and mapping of the McKenna Fire shows the fire has grown to approximately 9,000 acres on the Wilderness District of the Gila National Forest. The fire began May 6 and is being managed for multiple objectives in the Gila Wilderness. The fire transitioned to a Type 3 organization today.

Personnel on the incident report the fire is spreading at a low to moderate rate northwest and southwest. Structure protection is in place for the White Creek cabin located northwest of the fire.

While the McKenna Fire continues to meet objectives identified for the incident including reducing hazardous fuels, removing forest debris and returning fire to the ecosystem, managers regularly evaluate the next steps. They are planning to have small groups of firefighters placed in the management area to monitor fire behavior, prepare for anticipated growth and identify areas where actions may need to be taken to slow, stop or redirect the fire. They are also assessing trails in the wilderness that need to be cleared for safe passage for firefighters and animals.

Visitors to the Gila Wilderness need to be aware of an increase in animals on the trails around the McKenna Fire during the management of this incident. When animals are encountered along the trail, foot travelers should step several paces off the trail on the downhill side. Horses and pack mules tend to shy from people on foot. In dangerous places such as ledge trails, backtrack to a safe place to step off the trail.

Smoke from the McKenna Fire is moving to the northeast. There may be smoke drifting into the Silver City area from several other wildfires in the region. For people concerned about the smoke, New Mexico Department of Public Health has a website that recommends actions people can take if visibility decreases due to smoke from wildfires and prescribed fires, https://nmtracking.org/fire
The fire will not be mapped every day so increases in acreage included in our reports will reflect several days' growth. Updates will be posted on Inciweb at http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/4716/. For more information contact Punky Moore, Public Affairs Officer, 575-388-8211.