Location: 12 miles north of Silver City Acres: 6,017
Start Date: June 6, 2020 Cause: Lightning Total Personnel: 169
Vegetation: Timber with grass understory, brush, and Chaparral
Resources: Five 20-person initial attack handcrews, one 8-person handcrew, 1 Type 3 heavy fire engine, 4 Type 6 light fire engines, 1 Type 3 medium helicopter, and 1 Type 1 heavy helicopter. Air tankers are available at the Gila Aerial Fire Base.

SUMMARY:

The Tadpole Fire, now at 6,017 acres, was ignited by lightning and reported on June 6. The Tadpole Fire is located on the SW portion of Tadpole Ridge, on National Forest System lands, Gila National Forest. The fire is burning in timber with grass understory, brush and chaparral.

Another infrared nighttime mapping mission occurred last evening. Infrared mapping is the most accurate form of mapping as it detects heat signatures along the fire edge. An additional benefit of infrared mapping is to pinpoint the hotter portions of the fire that may be focused on. The infrared map is available for viewing on the Inciweb website under the map tab. Yesterday's firefighter actions included patrolling and improving the north containment line (Sheep Corral Canyon Rd 282 and the east containment line, NM Hwy 15 from the junction of Sheep Corral Canyon Rd. Field Observers and fireline scouts continued to assess containment opportunities on the south side of the fire in Moore Canyon. Fire personnel also began point protection actions around two private land inholdings in the event the fire reaches those locations. Firefighters will be watching the afternoon thunderstorms that are expected to occur through Sunday. Outflow winds present a particularly dangerous situation for firefighters as it creates erratic winds that can compromise firefighter safety.

WEATHER: Friday weather will see light southeast winds across the fire with lots of smoke trapped in the valleys. By Friday afternoon winds will increase to 10 to 15 mph, but there will be a chance for afternoon and evening thunderstorms, which could produce some gusty and erratic winds. By Friday night the thunderstorms will diminish, and the winds will decrease but continue from the southeast. More of the same on Saturday with southeast winds and a slight chance for thunderstorms. Minimum relative humidity both Friday and Saturday will be in the middle 20 percent.

Six portable air quality monitoring stations are being placed and will be providing smoke data and an air quality summary within the next 24 hours. Please visit https://fires.airfire.org/outlooks/SWNewMexico and https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/php/smoke-faq.html for real time smoke monitoring data and a daily smoke summary.

Please see the New Mexico Department of Health site, https://nmtracking.org/fire for guidance on mitigating your smoke exposure. Smoke-sensitive individuals and people with respiratory problems are encouraged to take precautionary measures by staying inside during heavy smoke periods and avoiding outdoor activities.

SAFETY: The Gila National Forest is currently under a campfire ban, including the use of charcoal. Use of pressurized fuel devices are acceptable.
A temporary flight restriction is in place over the fire area. Wildfires are a No Drone Zone. For more information visit Know Before You Fly, http://knowbeforeyoufly.org .

Friday, June 12, 2020, 12:00 P.M. MT
Fire Information Line: (575) 313-4678 OR (575)654-4181
Visit the New Mexico Fire Information website at www.nmfireinfo.com
Additional Fire Information available: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6737/
Office hours: 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.