Bonita Fire
Environment and Health Departments Issue Smoke Advisory
Approximate Location
36.613 latitude, -106.199 longitude
Incident Overview
6/13/17
Carson National Forest Bonita Wildfire Update
Location: El Rito Ranger District
Bonita Canyon
3 miles north of Cañon Plaza
Size: Approx. 4000 acres
Containment: 25%
Cause: Lightning
Start Date: June 3, 2017
El Rito, NM, June 16, 2017. The construction of fire line along Forest Road 42F on the north boundary of the fire was completed. This section will now be in patrol and mop up status. Fire line along Forest Road 42 is substantially complete. Fire crews are focusing on hot spots along the southern end of this line. Aerial ignitions were used on the interior of the fire yesterday to ignite pockets of unburned fuel to further remove fuel from the fire.
Smoke in Vallecitos Canyon and adjacent local communities was substantial yesterday and is expected to remain so today. The amount of smoke is expected to diminish each day now that a significant amount of fuel is no longer available to the fire. The highest concentration of smoke will occur around sunrise each day. Smoke will disperse during daylight hours. Residents of these areas are advised to close their windows and keep them closed until smoke dissipates. If your health is affected negatively from exposure to smoke take extra care to stay inside or move to an area with better air quality. You should also see your doctor or healthcare professional as needed.
Information regarding air quality and health protection can be found online at the New Mexico Department of Health’s website at https://nmtracking.org/fire.
A closure order for those lands located within the boundaries of the Bonita Fire Area remains in effect until further notice. For information regarding the forest closure contact the El Rito Ranger District at (575) 581-4554.
The area within Forest roads 42, 42F and 274 is closed due to the proximity of the fire and heavy fire traffic.
Forest road 45 northbound at the intersection of FR 42 and FR 45 is closed due to increased fire traffic. This will restrict bicyclists’ access to the Continental Divide Trail. Forest Road 111 northbound at the intersection of FR42 and FR45 is also closed.
For fire information, please call the Bonita Fire Information Line at (575) 758-6345 from 8:00 A.M. to 7:00 P.M., or visit Inciweb https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5235/, Carson National Forest Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/CarsonNF or Twitter @CarsonNF.
Basic Information
Current as of 6/16/2017, 5:15:13 PM
Incident Type Wildfire
Cause Lightning
Date of Origin Saturday June 03rd, 2017 approx. 05:30 PM
Location 3 miles from Canon Plaza
Incident Commander J. Boe
Current Situation
Total Personnel 166
Size 4,700 Acres
Percent of Perimeter Contained 25%
Estimated Containment Date Saturday July 15th, 2017 approx. 12:00 AM
Fuels Involved
Ponderosa pine, grass understory, pinon pine/juniper, and mixed conifer at higher elevations.
Outlook
Planned Actions
Monitor and suppress spots that cross the line.
Projected Incident Activity
Projected Incident Activity, Potential, Movement, Escalation, or Spread and influencing factors during the next operational period and in 12-, 24-, 48-, and 72-hour time frames:
12 hours: Long range spotting, short range crowning, tree torching.
24 hours: Long range spotting, short range crowning, tree torching.
48 hours: Long range spotting, short range crowning, tree torching.
72 hours: Long range spotting, short range crowning, tree torching.
Anticipated after 72 hours: Predicted wind event will increase fire behavior and activity.
Current Weather
Weather Concerns
Dry and warming trend with strong winds predicted through the weekend. Current and expected relative humidity is in single digits.