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Category: Front Page News Front Page News
Published: 29 May 2018 29 May 2018

Acres: 18,312
Start Date: May 22, 2018
Cause: Under investigation
Location: NE of Eagle Peak Lookout, Gila NF
Containment: 34%
Fuels: Timber (litter, grass, and understory)
Total personnel: 469

The Southwest Area Incident Management Team 4 will host a community meeting for the Buzzard Fire at 6:00 P.M. tonight, May 29, 2018, at the Ray Estrada Community Center on the corner of Mountaineer Road and Juniper Avenue in Reserve. The meeting will be recorded and posted on the Gila National Forest Facebook page and Buzzard Fire InciWeb page for those unable to attend.

General Information: The Buzzard Fire is now 34% contained. Firefighters have made good progress, with their primary focus now on the west and the eastern edges. On the southwest, the fire has been backing slowly against the wind through piñon-juniper grasslands and is not currently posing a threat to values in the area. On the eastern edge of the fire, fire managers and crews are scouting for the best approach to keeping the fire from crossing Long Canyon, which has very rugged terrain and has proven difficult to work in.

Fire Operations: Crews on the west side of the fire near upper Wilson Canyon and on the east side near Cox Canyon are continuing to burnout along control lines as needed, as the main fire continues to back into the wind near Eagle Peak. Control lines are in place in Sawmill Canyon. Crews are ready to begin burnout operations along the control lines and are looking for opportunities to apply a more direct attack along the fire’s edge. Control lines are also being constructed south of the Long Canyon Mountains along Moraga Canyon west to the Continental Divide Trail and then connecting to FR94.

Fire Safety Awareness: It continues to be extremely dry all over the southwest region, and people should use extreme caution in their use of fire or machinery and ensure tow safety chains are not dragging. In the vicinity of the Buzzard Fire, people should remain alert for heavy fire traffic as equipment and personnel will be travelling the roadways. For information on current fire restrictions, please visit https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/gila/alerts-notices/?aid=46143 .

Fire Weather: High temperatures and low humidity with gusty afternoon winds are anticipated the rest of the week, which will likely result in extreme fire conditions.

Closures: The area around the fire remains closed for public safety. Roadblocks have been set up by local law enforcement. In support of this closure, the Continental Divide Trail has been rerouted around the fire closures. The trail reroute map is available at https://bit.ly/2GRESFw. More closure information is available at https://bit.ly/2LvwKhN .

Smoke Situation: Late night and early morning “drainage” smoke will continue in Reserve, Frisco, and the ranch lands south and east of the fire. The smoke plume will drift almost due east, potentially affecting Socorro and Truth or Consequences. Although levels are not expected to be high, smoke-sensitive individuals and people with respiratory or heart disease are encouraged to take precautionary measures. For more information on air quality and health impacts due to wildfire smoke, please visit the New Mexico Department of Health website at https://nmtracking.org/fire .

Fire Information Links: Fire information can be found at nmfireinfo.com and https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5814/ .
For information on the Gila National Forest, please visit http://www.fs.usda.gov/gila .

Fire Information: (602) 529-5924 (8:00 A.M. to 8:00 P.M.)
Email: buzzardfireinfo2018@gmail.com