Location of Origin: Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests, Alpine Ranger District

Start Date: August 18, 2020                                         Size: Approximately 35,371 Acres

Cause: Lightning                                                               Percent Contained: 22

Personnel: 122                                                                  Resources Assigned: 15

Alpine, AZ – October 23, 2020 – The Cow Canyon Fire is burning in a remote location within the Blue Range Primitive Area near the Arizona and New Mexico state border. 28,160 acres of the fire are located on the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests, and 7,211 acres are burning on the Gila National Forest.Operations: Firing operations were completed yesterday, and containment lines were put into place along the last portion of the 90 Trail where spot fires had occurred. Fire managers will assess the need to conduct additional firing operations along the northern boundary to mitigate the threat of the main fire pushing towards the Pueblo Park Road (Forest Road 232, New Mexico County Road #13) which is the main holding feature. Crews will monitor the fire today for movement towards any structures along the Blue River and will continue to provide structure protection. The weather system that is expected to move into the area in the coming days will provide higher humidity levels, cloud cover and precipitation which should reduce fire activity and overall progression.

Values at risk: Management objectives are to keep the fire east of the Blue River, and to provide protection for structures, cultural resources and historical sites. No values at risk have been impacted by the fire.

Closures: A temporary area closure is in effect to protect public health and safety due to wildland fire activities in the restricted area. The temporary area closure and maps can be found athttp://www.fs.usda.gov/goto/ClosureOrders.

Weather: The persistent drying trend is expected to continue through Saturday but will transition as cooler temperatures and precipitation moves into the area early next week.

Restrictions: Stage 1 Fire restrictions are in effect across the forest. The forest order and map can be found at http://www.fs.usda.gov/goto/ClosureOrders.  

Smoke: The smoke is forecast to drift eastward today, and will settle overnight into Glenwood, NM. The community of Blue should experience good air quality. Air quality information can be found at the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality and at the New Mexico Environmental Health Department.

Information: Updates can be found on the official incident web page at https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7158/.

{pdf}mypdfs/2020-10-23-Cow-Canyon-Smoke-Outlook.pdf{/pdf}