Posts tagged "Shelter Valley"

Lighter winds help in fight against New Mexico wildfire, but blaze expands to 190 square miles

Lighter winds aided crews battling a massive wildfire in southwestern New Mexico’s Gila National Forest, but they still were unable to stop the blaze that has raged across more than 190 square miles of mountainous forest lands since last week.

As the strong, erratic gusts slackened Sunday, teams focused on building protection lines on key flanks of the blaze.

The Whitewater-Baldy Complex fire grew to more than 122,000 acres and was about two miles away from the privately owned ghost town of Mogollon.

Denise Ottaviano, a spokeswoman for the crew fighting the blaze, said the fire hasn’t made a significant push toward the town. Crews were working to build a protection line between Mogollon and the fire’s western edge. Residents in the area were evacuated over the weekend.

The blaze, however, destroyed a dozen homes and several outbuildings on Wednesday in the community of Willow Creek, which remains under evacuation. Officials say crews were taking measures to protect homes in Willow Creek.

No other communities were threatened.

On Sunday, New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez authorized the deployment of 15 National Guard soldiers to help secure areas around the fire.

Meanwhile, crews built protection lines on the fire’s western and northern edges. They also made preparations to send five helicopters to focus on the blaze’s hotspots, but it wasn’t clear if the aircraft were deployed Sunday. For the last several days, high winds had prevented them from taking to the air.

Zero percent of the fire has been contained.

Despite tamer winds, crews were still contending with extremely dry conditions and are expecting a decrease in humidity.

State officials had warned residents during the Memorial Day weekend to limit outdoor activities, especially if smoke was visible.

In western Colorado, gusty winds have spread two wildfires that have burned more than 7,000 acres and prompted the evacuation of several campgrounds.

Crews were battling a wildfire that has scorched at least 5,000 acres of rugged canyon land north of Paradox near the Colorado-Utah border.

Sheriff’s deputies on Saturday evacuated the Buckeye Reservoir area, a popular recreation spot near the Utah border. The Rock Creek and Sinbad Valley areas also were evacuated.

Meanwhile, winds of more than 60 mph fueled a 2,325-acre fire northwest of Pagosa Springs, and several campgrounds in the area have been evacuated.

Also Sunday, a large wildfire was reported east of Pueblo near Fowler, prompting the closure of U.S. 50. The exact size of the fire wasn’t immediately clear.

In California, ground crews with air support were surrounding a stubborn wildfire that has burned through 4,100 acres of grass and brush in rural San Diego County and had it 90 percent contained by evening.

CalFire spokeswoman Roxanne Provaznik says the blaze near Shelter Valley is burning away from the town of Julian in steep, rocky terrain. No structures were threatened.

Shelter Valley is in an unincorporated area of San Diego County, 12 miles east of Julian, within the boundaries of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park.

Lighter winds at NM fire prompts crews to prepare to send water-dumping helicopters into air

Crews fighting a wildfire in the Gila National Forest in New Mexico benefited from lighter winds Sunday, allowing them to focus on building protection lines on key flanks of the blaze and preparing to send water-dropping helicopters into the air for the first time in several days.

The Whitewater-Baldy Complex fire continued to grow, burning more than 122,000 acres, or 191 square miles, by mid-day Sunday and was about two miles away from the privately owned ghost town of Mogollon in southwestern New Mexico.

The town was evacuated Saturday due to extreme winds, but no homes there have been destroyed.

Denise Ottaviano, a spokeswoman for the crew fighting the blaze, said the fire remains active near Mogollon, but the blaze hasn’t made a significant push toward the town. Crews were working to build a protection line between Mogollon and the fire’s western edge.

The blaze, however, destroyed a dozen homes and several outbuildings on Wednesday in the community of Willow Creek, which remains under evacuation. Officials say crews were taking measures to protect homes in Willow Creek.

No other communities were threatened.

On Sunday, New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez authorized the deployment of 15 National Guard soldiers to help secure areas around the fire.

Meanwhile, crews were building protection lines on the fire’s western and northern edges and making preparations to send five helicopters into the air to focus on the blaze’s hotspots.

For the last several days, high winds have prevented helicopters taking to the air. But winds of 10 to 15 mph on Sunday have prompted crews to search for water supplies for the five helicopters. Officials hoped to get the helicopters in the air later on Sunday.

“That’s definitely an improvement to get those helicopters in the air to help the fire fighters on the ground,” Ottaviano said.

Zero percent of the fire has been contained.

Despite tamer winds, crews were still contending with extremely dry conditions and are expecting a decrease in humidity.

State officials had warned residents during the Memorial Day weekend to limit outdoor activities, especially if smoke was visible.

In western Colorado, gusty winds have spread two wildfires that have burned more than 7,000 acres and prompted the evacuation of several campgrounds.

Crews were battling a wildfire that has scorched at least 5,000 acres of rugged canyon land north of Paradox near the Colorado-Utah border.

Sheriff’s deputies on Saturday evacuated the Buckeye Reservoir area, a popular recreation spot near the Utah border. The Rock Creek and Sinbad Valley areas also were evacuated.

Meanwhile, winds of more than 60 mph fueled a 2,325-acre fire northwest of Pagosa Springs, and several campgrounds in the area have been evacuated.

Also Sunday, a large wildfire was reported east of Pueblo near Fowler, prompting the closure of U.S. 50. The exact size of the fire wasn’t immediately clear.

In California, ground crews with air support were surrounding a stubborn wildfire that has burned through 4,100 acres of grass and brush in rural San Diego County.

CalFire spokeswoman Roxanne Provaznik says the blaze near Shelter Valley is burning away from the town of Julian in steep, rocky terrain. It was 65 percent contained Sunday. No structures were threatened.

Shelter Valley is in an unincorporated area of San Diego County, 12 miles east of Julian, within the boundaries of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park.

NM fire forces evacuation near ghost town; Colo. crew battles growing fire along Utah border

Residents near a privately owned New Mexico ghost town were ordered Saturday to evacuate as a blaze in the Gila National Forest continued to burn erratically, as Colorado crews took to fighting a new fire along the Utah-Colorado border.

Fire officials in New Mexico said Saturday that the Whitewater-Baldy Complex fire has shrunk slightly to 82,000 acres but is still 0 percent contained because of weather conditions. The evacuation of Mogollon, a privately owned ghost town, was ordered due to extreme wind around the southwestern New Mexico fire. Four helicopters and more than 500 firefighters from around the state were on hand to fight the blaze but still had to contend with “extreme conditions.”

Cities, as far away as Albuquerque, remained under a health alert until Sunday afternoon due to smoke from the fire, which has spread across the state. State officials were warning residents during the Memorial Day weekend to limit outdoor activities, especially if smoke was visible.

The haze that blocked views of the Sandia Mountains in Albuquerque on Friday appeared to have decreased by early Saturday afternoon, but smoke continued to hang over parts of the city.

Meanwhile on Saturday, crews in Colorado battled a wildfire that has scorched more than 3,000 acres of rugged canyon land near the Colorado-Utah border. U.S. Forest Service spokesman Steve Segin said the fire started Friday afternoon and is burning in a remote area near Paradox. It is not threatening any structures, and no injuries have been reported.

Shannon Borders, a spokeswoman for The Bureau of Land Management, said sheriff’s deputies have evacuated the Buckeye Reservoir area, a popular recreation spot near the Utah border. The Rock Creek and Sinbad Valley areas also were evacuated.

In California, higher humidity and light winds were helping firefighters get ahead of a stubborn wildfire that has charred 4,100 acres of tinder-dry grass and brush in rural San Diego County.

The blaze near Shelter Valley was burning Saturday in steep, rocky terrain away from the town of Julian, said Thomas Shoots, spokesman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. It was 30 percent contained.

No injuries or damage to structures were reported, and the fire was not moving toward any homes as it burned southeast on Saturday.

Authorities evacuated about 100 homes in the Shelter Valley area along Highway 78 in the early stages of the blaze, but evacuation orders were lifted late Thursday and residents were allowed to return, Schuler said.

Arizona fire officials said a cold front arriving over the state late Friday was providing additional relief to firefighters battling the Gladiator Fire, a blaze that has charred 16,000 acres and is now 40 percent contained. Electricity has been restored to some areas.