Location: between Blood Canyon and Brushy Mountain, Wilderness Ranger District, Gila National Forest
Start Date: June 6, 2020 Size: ~ 8,370 acres Cause: Lightning
Vegetation: Pinyon Juniper Containment: 15%
Resources: Two 20-person Interagency Hotshot Crews (IHC)

The strategy for today is to continue to prep Forest Service Trail #403 to the west until the junction with Trail #160, then continue prep to the west. Continue to prep Trail #161 (along the Little Creek drainage) to the west, post Trail #789 to the next confluence entering Little Creek drainage from the south. There is a temporary closure order #03-06-05-20-004 dated June 11, 2020, that includes Trail #160 which comes out of the Gila Center, and Trail #161 at Little Creek.

Values on these fires include public and wildland fire safety, the NM Hwy 15 corridor, private inholdings and associated infrastructure, the cultural and tourism aspect of the Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument, the natural values of wilderness, wildlife habitat including the Gila trout, and to minimize the footprint and to have low intensity fire on the landscape.

Smoke from fire rises up and away during the daytime, but in the evenings, smoke can pool back 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. Fire information can be found at nmfireinfo.com. Inciweb information: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6739/.

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