Monument Fire

Approximate Location

32.693 latitude, -105.663 longitude

Incident Overview

The Monument Fire on the Sacramento Ranger District was detected on June 2nd at 5:41 pm. The fire is located about 8 miles southwest of Weed, NM, and 4 miles northeast of Timberon, NM, along the ridge of the Sacramento Mountains, elevation 8,521 ft. The fire is in a remote location with limited access.

The lightning-caused Monument Fire is currently being managed within a defined area that is surrounded by a combination of roads and natural barriers. Firefighters continue to improve the existing "perimeter/boundary" in order to limit the possibility of fire spreading across the containment line. The current size is 115 acres and it is 20% contained. The containment line is secure and the interior fuels will continue to burn through ground/surface litter (slash and dead/down trees and logs). Today, most fire activity was burning through needle/leaf cast, downed trees and grasses. Due to projected weather forecasts and limited firefighting resources available throughout New Mexico and the southwest, the strategy on this fire has changed. The emphasis will be on securing the existing perimeter and preventing fire expansion from reaching heavier concentrations of mixed pine and fir conifer trees to the east.

Smoke is visible from Sacramento, Weed and Timberon and settling into drainages at night. No aerial ignitions (via helicopter and PSD or "ping pong balls") are planned and none have been conducted to date. At this time 34 firefighters, including five FS engines, one BLM engine and a bull dozer, are assigned to the Monument Fire.

Wildfire last burned in this area during the Circle Cross fire in the 1950’s. The natural fire frequency of that landscape is due for fire treatment. Reintroduction of natural fire in the area can provide positive benefits to the landscape. Under current weather/fuel conditions, the fuel consumption on the Monument Fire will be less than desired (desired being more than 70% consumption) but will still be beneficial.

Efforts will be made to encourage the Monument Fire's low intensity surface fire to:

Reduce potential future severe effects of wildfire that could negatively affect the area and other unintended consequences from wildfire, thus creating a landscape resilient to wildfire disturbance and reduced risk to communities
Improve forage plants for wildlife and cattle
Regenerate depleted aspen stands
Fuels: Today, most fire activity was burning through needle/leaf cast, downed trees and grasses. The fire is currently burning through areas containing isolated pockets of mixed conifer and old decadent Aspen stands with some single tree torching occurring on the fire. Brush and shrubs including Gambel Oak primarily exist on the side slope of the mountain.

Fire Behavior: As of Sunday, June 18, the interior of the fire continues to burn naturally. Fire behavior has continued to expand at a very slow rate. When the fire reaches pockets of dense standing fuel, isolated torching occurs, resulting in intermittent periods of increased smoke output. The fire has been terrain-driven and has mostly been creeping and smoldering. Smoke may be visible from Weed, Sacramento and Timberon, and is likely to settle into lower elevations, especially drainages, at night.

Predicted Weather: The weather forecast for Monday and the week ahead includes partly cloudy conditions with a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms, high temperatures in the upper 80’s and south winds around 5 mph.

Values at Risk: Grazing allotments and private land are in the vicinity of the wildfire area. Mexican Spotted Owl and Goshawk habitat are also present on the fringes of the area. Firefighters will focus on constructing indirect firelines to keep the fire from affecting these sites.

·Three COMMUNITY MEETINGS were held June 6-8 in Weed, Timberon and Cloudcroft.

A temporary Closure Order remains in place for the Monument Fire area.

Firefighter and public safety is always the priority in managing all wildland fires.

Regarding smoke, in the event of a prescribed fire or wildfire: If visibility becomes lower because of smoke, please visit the NM Department of Health’s smoke page: https://nmtracking.org/fire

Definitions of Management Strategies for the MONUMENT Fire

Confine:

A wildfire response strategy of restricting a wildfire to a defined area, primarily using natural barriers that are expected to restrict the spread of the wildfire under the prevailing and forecasted weather conditions.
Definition Extension: Some response action may be required to augment or connect natural barriers (e.g. line construction, burn-out, bucket drops, etc.).
Monitoring:

The orderly collection, analysis, and interpretation of environmental data to evaluate management's progress toward meeting objectives, and to identify changes in natural systems. Monitoring is also conducted on wildland fires to observe fire effects, fire behavior, or both. For example, the work done by Fire Effects Monitor (FEMO) or Field Observer (FOBS) positions.

Point/Zone Protection:

A wildfire response strategy which protects specific assets or highly valued resources from the wildfire without directly halting the continued spread of the wildfire.
Definition Extension: 1) Points or zones being protected may be communities, individual structures, areas of high resource value, etc. 2) Continued wildfire spread may be desirable in order to achieve management objectives or may be inevitable due to extreme burning conditions, safety concerns, or other limitations.

Basic Information
Current as of 6/18/2017, 11:54:20 AM
Incident Type Wildfire
Cause Lightning
Date of Origin Friday June 02nd, 2017 approx. 05:45 PM
Location Approximately 8 miles SW of Weed, NM and 4 miles NE of Timberon, NM
Incident Commander Tim McElheny, Forest Service
Incident Description Monitor With Point Zone Protection
Current Situation
Total Personnel 34
Size 115 Acres
Percent of Perimeter Contained 20%
Estimated Containment Date Saturday July 15th, 2017 approx. 12:00 AM
Fuels Involved
Primary fuels include forest litter and understory vegetation in a sparse timber vegetation component. The fire is slowly burning near the ridgeline atop the Sacramento Mountain range, through an existing 50+ year-old fire scar. Some Mixed Conifer and decadent Aspen stands are lightly scattered within the area. Brush and shrubs including Gambel Oak primarily exist on the side slope of the mountain.
Significant Events
Over the weekend of June 10-11, Tim McElheny, T4 IC took command of the fire. The fire behavior has been described as low, mostly creeping and smoldering. Current weather conditions have not had a significant impact on fire behavior.
Outlook
Planned Actions
Firefighters continue to strengthen containment lines by constructing handling and burning out along established lines around the perimeter. Fire activity is being confined to a designated area to reduce hazardous fire fuels within this boundary.
Projected Incident Activity
A combination of dozer line and existing roads that have been significantly reinforced are being used as the fire perimeter/containment line. The area within this preliminary perimeter is 940 acres. There has been minimal fire growth under the current weather conditions. This week's weather conditions have not led to significant fire growth. Light smoke may be settling in drainages at night.
Remarks
A temporary Closure Order remains in effect for the Monument Fire area.
Current Weather
Weather Concerns
Hotter and drier weather expected this week with relative humidity approaching low teens. Next week will bring cooler temperatures with possibility of rain showers.