Per AZDOT all westbound lanes are now open, 1 eastbound lane will remain closed. Removed from NM Roads.

Arizona officials close Interstate 10 due to wildfires
Motorists should avoid travel

LORDSBURG – The Arizona Department of Transportation has closed I-10 from at Benson as they experience several major fires. The link below shows the active fire map:

https://wildlandfire.az.gov/wildfire-situation

Detours are currently being put into place on both New Mexico and Arizona.

Commuters traveling eastbound will be detoured at Benson to State Route 80 to State Route 191 traveling southeast to Douglas AZ, connecting to State Route 80 crossing into New Mexico at Rodeo, traveling north to Interstate 10.

Westbound detour will be from I-10 at NM milepost 6, detour on NM 80 traveling south, crossing into Arizona near Rodeo NM. Travel will continue onto State Route 80 through Douglas AZ back to Interstate 10.

All oversized loads are requested to park until further notice.

What motorists should do:

Avoid travel into Arizona. Many secondary routes are closed due to other fires with no detours available. Motorists do not want to become stranded in an area without facilities, fuel or accommodations.
Seek local accommodations as hotels/motels will quickly reach capacities.
Closures are indefinite and roadways will not be opened until deemed safe for travel.
I-10 is open to commuters to Lordsburg and surrounding areas.

For more information on wildfires, please visit the link above or https://maps.nwcg.gov/sa/. For road conditions and closures in Arizona, please visit https://www.az511.com/. For road conditions in New Mexico, please visit www.nmroads.com or call 511.

Incident Overview
Walnut Fire Perimter Map 6/22/2021

Map full size link

The Cochise County Sheriff's Office has issued a SET notification for areas south of Interstate 10 between mile posts 318 and 322 to Dragoon Road and west of Johnson Road. Due to ever changing fire conditions, please be prepared and ready to evacuate when asked to do so.

The fire has spotted across Interstate and helicopter is working to suppress the 1-acre spot fire. Crews continue to hold the fire along the highway. Interstate 10 remains closed in both directions near Dragoon. Westbound lanes are closed near North Johnson Road at mile post 323 and eastbound lands are closed near east Dragoon Road at mile post 321. The Texas Canyon Rest Area is also closed.

Extreme heat, dry vegetation and wind shifts continue to fuel the Walnut Fire as it pushes to the north, south, and east. Monday's winds pushed the fire back down Mae West Peak toward I-10 prompting trigger points to be established as a precaution. Extreme heat will continue to impact ground and air resources. Continuous outflow winds can create erratic fire behavior and possibly shift the fire in different directions. Steep terrain is limiting access for crews to go direct on the fire. Residents always need to be prepared and sign up for emergency alerts through their county's emergency management website. Nearly 80 personnel are assigned to the fire, including a Department of Forestry and Fire Management hand crew, engines, water tenders, and helicopters. Additional aircraft has been requested. The Albuquerque Zone Type 3 Team took command of the fire Tuesday morning.

Location: western side of Burros Mountains, in Park Canyon and Kelly Chimney Canyon, Grant County, NM

Start Date: June 20, 2021 Size: ~100 acres Cause: Lightning
Vegetation: Pinyon Juniper and grass Total Personnel: 16
Containment: 0%

Resources: 3 Type 6 engines, 1 Type 4 engine, and 1 Type 2 Initial Attack Crew

Summary: The strategy for this fire is full suppression with a confine and contain strategy, to protect the private inholdings along the Redrock Road, and limit impacts to range infrastructure. There has been no growth on the west and south side of the fire. Resources worked on the east and northeast side of the fire to stop fire spread using a Type 1 helicopter with ground resources working the fire's edge. The 5000-acres Bar 6 Prescribed Fire (2021) will limit fire spread to the east and help limit impacts to the Oak Grove subdivision.

Objectives : Provide for public and firefighter safety. Protect private inholdings and range infrastructure.

Weather: Hot and dry conditions are expected this afternoon and for the next 2-5 days. No moisture is predicted for the upcoming week other than isolated thunderstorms.

Announcement: If you visit the Gila National Forest, remember that fire danger is very high and Stage 1 Fire Restrictions are in effect. For detailed information, visit https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/gila/alerts-notices

Tuesday June 22, 2021
Visit the New Mexico Fire Information website at www.nmfireinfo.com
Inciweb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7493/
Fire Phone 575-519-0103 Email: SM.FS.GNFPAO@usda.gov

JOHNSON FIRE
Location: Wilderness Ranger District, Gila National Forest Start Date: May 20, 2021 Size: 87,551 acres
Cause: Lightning Vegetation: Timber with grass understory, Pinyon and juniper woodlands, scrub, and brush
Total Personnel: 153 Containment: 11% Resources: 1 Type 1 handcrew, 3 Type 2 handcrews, 3 helicopters, 8 engines and 3 water tenders

SUMMARY: Structure assessment continues in the Willow Creek subdivision. A contingency line is being constructed around the Willow Creek subdivision should the fire progress in that direction. The northern side of the fire continues to hold on the West Fork of the Gila River and is being patrolled by horseback. The northeast side of the fire has been secured and crews will begin removing equipment. On the southeast flank, backing fire was observed in Water Canyon as the fire continued down toward the Gila River drainage. The southern side of the fire is backing into Hidden Pasture Meadow through timber and is exhibiting moderate fire behavior into Turkey Creek towards its confluence with the Gila River. As the southwest side continued to back down Mogollon Creek it has reached Seventy-Four Mountain. An additional helicopter with an external bucket arrived on the fire today.

INCIDENT OBJECTIVES: Provide for firefighter and public safety and allow fire to play its natural role on the landscape. Values at risk include the Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument, White Creek Cabin, and sensitive aquatic species in the Gila Wilderness.

FIRE BEHAVIOR: Moderate, with areas of backing, smoldering, and creeping.

CLOSURE:

By Roger Lanse

Grant County Sheriff's Office deputies responded to an outlying Grant County address on Tuesday, June 22, 2021, in reference to a female advising she believed her juvenile daughter had sex with an older male. According to a GCSO press release, when deputies arrived on scene and following a brief investigation, they forwarded the case to their criminal investigation division.

As a result of the CIDs investigation, Sergio Humberto Denogean, 20, of Deming, was charged with four counts of criminal sexual penetration of a minor, second degree felonies; two counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor, third degree felonies; and one count of contributing to the delinquency of a minor, a fourth degree felony.

Denogean was arrested with assistance from the Deming Police Department and booked into the Luna County Detention Center. LCDC staff told the Beat Denogean was released at 11 a.m. on the 22nd for transport to the Grant County Detention Center as the offenses occurred in Grant County. According to the press release, Homeland Security Investigation Division is also assisting as more charges may follow.

Four additional COVID-19 deaths

SANTA FE – New Mexico state health officials on Tuesday announced 100 additional COVID-19 cases. Per the state Department of Health, the most recent cases are:

29 new cases in Bernalillo County
3 new cases in Catron County
1 new case in Chaves County
1 new case in Cibola County
10 new cases in Doña Ana County
4 new cases in Eddy County
2 new cases in Guadalupe County
2 new cases in Lea County
1 new case in McKinley County
4 new cases in Otero County
2 new cases in Rio Arriba County
1 new case in Roosevelt County
3 new cases in Sandoval County
12 new cases in San Juan County
5 new cases in San Miguel County
4 new cases in Santa Fe County
2 new cases in Taos County
3 new cases in Torrance County
11 new cases in Valencia County

The Department of Health on Tuesday reported four additional deaths in New Mexico related to COVID-19: