Reserve Ranger District

Location: East Elk Mountain, 30 miles east of Reserve, Catron County, NM on the Gila National Forest.

Start Date: March 31, 2021           Size: ~229 acres         Cause: Lightning             Vegetation: Piñon/juniper and grass 

Resources: One (1) Type 1 Initial Attack (IA) crew

Summary: The Elk Fire is 229 acres and 100% contained.  

Incident command has transitioned to the Jackson IHC, with Darren Smith as ICT4 and Karel Williams as ICT4-trainee. All resources except for the Jackson, MS Type 1 IA crew will be released today. During monitoring and reconnaissance today, crews found evidence of a lightning strike which is the cause of this fire.

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 https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7359/.

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