Gila National Forest Incident Commander – Jorge Amaya
 Information Phone: 575-388-8211 Hours: 8 am-4:30 pm
Email: 2023.Pass@Firenet.gov

Acres: 50,123
Location: 40 miles west of Winston, NM Containment: 13%
Personnel: 54
Start Date: May 18, 2023
Cause: Lightning
Fuels: Timber, pinon/juniper and grass

Today is the final update on the Pass Fire. Moving forward, updates will be released twice per week, unless fire behavior changes significantly. Please also note the Pass Fire information phone number has changed.

Southwest winds for the past couple of days have aided the Pass fire to steadily consume ground fuels and surface vegetation. An infrared flight last night showed 288 acres of new growth within isolated pockets of heat.

Fire activity was observed in Trap Corral Canyon just west of Trap Corral Tank. Most of the fire activity is still located between House Log Canyon and Windfall Canyon.

Firefighters will continue collecting fuel samples to stay informed of current fuel moistures that will assist with forecasting future fire behavior. Their daily missions are to patrol and monitor the Pass Fire from the air and ground, taking appropriate measures to ensure it stays confined within the identified boundaries and to protect values at risk.

Visitors are reminded to use extreme caution and exercise common sense when traveling near the fire area.

The low-to moderate intensity of the Pass fire is thinning out crowded young stands of trees, reducing the amount of fuel on the forest floor, adding nutrients to the soil to rejuvenate plant life which will produce new forage for wildlife.

Weather: Sunny, with highs around 80. West winds from 5 to 10 mph, increasing to southwest 20 to 25 mph this afternoon.

Aviation Restrictions: A Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) is still in place over the Pass Fire. All non-fire aircraft are restricted. This includes civilian drones. Unauthorized aircraft in the area will ground firefighting aircraft, hindering firefighting efforts. If you fly, we can't.

For More Information:
• Inciweb: https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-information/nmgnf-pass-fire Inciweb is the official site for fire
information. This site is secure and updated daily.
• New Mexico Fire Information: https://nmfireinfo.com/
• Air Quality: https://www.airnow.gov