Incident Start Date: July 8, 2019 Cause: Lightning
Acres: ~25 Containment: 0%
Vegetation: Ponderosa pine, mixed conifer, heavy dead/down on the ground
Strategy: Scout Trail #741 and #74 to evaluate necessity to prep and protect private property at Cooney and Terry Canyon.
Incident Commander: A. James, ICT3

The lightning-caused Rocky Fire is approximately 25 acres, burning on National Forest System lands in the Aldo Leopold Wilderness. This fire is approximately 20 miles northeast of Mimbres near Rocky Canyon and in very steep and rugged terrain. This fire is demonstrating low fire behavior.

Summary: Visual reconnaissance shows that this naturally-ignited fire is doing good things for the land. The fire is exhibiting low to moderate effects, cleaning up dead and down trees, and debris from previous fires, and reducing ladder and surface fuels. The fire will continue to reduce hazardous fuels accumulation and improve resiliency to wildfires and insect outbreaks during drought years.

Smoke from fire rises during the daytime, but in the evening can pool down in canyons, drainages, and basins. For information on air quality and protecting your health, and to find guidance on distances and visibility, please visit https://nmtracking.org/fire. Smoke monitors are set up in Winston and Mimbres. Live tracking can be found at https://app.airsis.com/USFS/UnitMap for smoke monitor units USFS1054, , and USFS1036. Fire information can be found at nmfireinfo.com.

For information on the Gila National Forest, check out our website at https://www.fs.usda.gov/gila