South Fork Fire
Location: 20 miles W of Espanola, Los Alamos Co., NM
Specific Location: Valles Caldera National Preserve [here], Santa Fe NF, Lat 36° 2´ 21″, Lon 106° 26´ 40″
Date of Origin: 06/10/2010
Cause: Under investigation
Situation as of 07/15/2010 12:30 pm
Personnel: 8
Size: 17,100 acres
Percent Contained: 95%
Costs to Date: $8,980,000
Monitor.
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Situation as of 07/09/2010 12:30 pm
Personnel: 40
Size: 17,100 acres
Percent Contained: 90%
Costs to Date: $8,875,000
Monitor.
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Situation as of 07/03/2010 4:15 pm
Personnel: 137
Size: 17,086 acres
Percent Contained: 90%
Costs to Date: $8,728,532
Mop-up, patrol and rehab in all Divisions. Transition to Type 4 IC on 7/4/2010 at 1800.
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Situation as of 07/01/2010 5:00 pm
Personnel: 209
Size: 17,086 acres
Percent Contained: 65%
Costs to Date: $8,405,930
Smoldering only in high concentrations of heavy fuel and duff layer. Crews will continue rehab and patrol the fire perimeter in all Divisions. East and West spike camps will be demobed.
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Situation as of 06/30/2010 5:00 pm
Personnel: 209
Size: 17,086 acres
Percent Contained: 50%
Costs to Date: $8,145,463
Fire burned 5 more acres with low activity. Flame lengths are 1-3 feet and slow movement in mixed conifer.
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Situation as of 06/29/2010 4:00 pm
Personnel: 211
Size: 17,081 acres
Percent Contained: 50%
Costs to Date: $7,950,511
Pecos Zone Type 3 IMT Tudor IC assumed command June 28, 2010 at 1800. Continue to mop-up and patrol 300′ within the fire perimeter in Division A. Patrol, monitor and rehab in both Divisions G/P and Z.
Division A along FR 27 remains the priority to prevent movement across the line onto the Coyote Ranger District. Second priority is Division Z along FR 144 across the southern boundary of the fire area and will prevent movement onto the Santa Clara Indian Reservation. Crews will continue rehab and patrol the fire perimeter in all Divisions. Water fill sites will be maintained for firefighting operations and road improvement on FR 144.
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Situation as of 06/27/2010 6:00 pm
Personnel: 277
Size: 16,945 acres
Percent Contained: 50%
Costs to Date: $7,444,164
Mostly insignificant fire behavior with smoldering activity on all divisions. Some isolated unburned interior islands exhibited periods of low intensity behavior with creeping and smoldering.
Backhaul of excess supplies and equipment will be completed. Central West Zone IMT2 will complete the transition with the incoming IMT3.
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Situation as of 06/26/2010 6:00 pm
Personnel: 374
Size: 16,945 acres
Percent Contained: 50%
Costs to Date: $7,147,006
Additional 540 acres reported burned yesterday. Continued mop-up of the perimeter. Patrolling will continue on all divisions with continued backhaul of excess equipment and supplies. Evaluation of need to retain West Spike Camp will occur tomorrow. Water fill sites for firefighting and road improvement will continue to be maintained. Type 3 Team (Tudor) will shadow Central West Zone Team for two days with transfer of command planned for 0600 on 6/30/2010.
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Situation as of 06/25/2010 6:00 pm
Personnel: 438
Size: 16,407 acres
Percent Contained: 50%
Costs to Date: $6,721,299
Additional 150 acres burned yesterday. Little to no precipitation has occurred over the fire area within the last 24 hours; however, mostly cloudy conditions remained over the fire area.
Division A along Forest Road 27 remains the priority to prevent movement across the line onto the Coyote Ranger District. Firing operations completed today will mitigate this priority as the line is secured. Second priority is Division Z along Forest Road 144 across the southern boundary of the fire area and will prevent movement onto the Santa Clara Indian Reservation. Third priority includes securing the north perimeter to prevent movement onto private land and is expected to be contained at the end of tomorrow’s operations.
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Situation as of 06/24/2010 6:00 pm
Personnel: 403
Size: 16,257 acres
Percent Contained: 45%
Costs to Date: $6,319,949 (no explanation for reduction in cost estimate)
Additional 440 acres burned yesterday. Light precipitation and a few lightning strikes were observed across the eastern half of the fire area between 1400 and 1600 hours. Successful firing operations along the indirect dozer line from DP-20 south to the intersection with FR 27. Opportunities for firing operations to secure the eastern perimeter of Division P to indirect, contingency lines will occur if conditions are favorable. Chipping will be completed on Division P indirect lines.
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Situation as of 06/23/2010 6:00 pm
Personnel: 399
Size: 14,816 acres
Percent Contained: 45%
Costs to Date: $6,469,385
Multiple spot fires between the fire’s edge and the indirect dozer line. Crews successfully fired out unburned pockets of fuel on the northeast section of the fire around the private land. A firing operation on Division Z was successful in creating a buffer between a meadow and an aspen stand to slow southward movement in Polvadera Creek. Division P monitored the fire spread from the previous day’s firing operation and maintained water supply for heavy helicopters to keep fire spread in check. Over 40 loads of water was flown from the dip site to the fire by type 1 helicopters today. On Division P, active interior fire with high to very high behavior observed.
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Situation as of 06/22/2010 6:00 pm
Personnel: 445
Size: 14,310 acres
Percent Contained: 40%
Costs to Date: $5,974,570
Resources in Division P implemented a check line in the unnamed drainage west of Vallecitos Creek at the northern end of MAP-3. The fire has spotted over this line and heavy helicopters are attempting to slow the eastward progression. On Division Z, water supply was maintained and improved for logistical support of the access roads and operational considerations. The planned rescue of the fish species was undertaken and completed successfully.
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Situation as of 06/21/2010 6:00 pm
Personnel: 446
Size: 13,890 acres
Percent Contained: 40%
Costs to Date: $5,302,207
Firing operations along the northeastern perimeter of Division G were successfully initiated in an effort to secure the northeast flank to the indirect line and protect the values at-risk. Divisions G & P continued chipping slash from indirect line improvement. Water sources were maintained and improved around the fire. Crews mopped up the fire edge to a 300′ standard on Divisions A and G. Contingency lines were evaluated and improved on Divisions P and Z. A contingency line west of a private parcel in Division P was implemented to inhibit fire spread across the drainage toward the private land and the structures threatened.
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Situation as of 06/20/2010 6:00 pm
Personnel: 512
Size: 13,518 acres
Percent Contained: 30%
Costs to Date: $4,792,970
Crews will continue to monitor fire spread and chip slash from indirect lines. Firing operations will occur in the event of the fire passing MAP-2 and/or MAP-4. Contingency lines will continue to be scouted and improved where conditions warrant.
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Situation as of 06/19/2010 6:00 pm
Personnel: 512
Size: 12,989 acres
Percent Contained: 30%
Costs to Date: $4,316,574
Crews utilized heavy helicopters to check the fire spread on the northeast perimeter. Chipping operations continued on Division G. Water sources were improved and additional storage tanks have been deployed around the perimeter.
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Situation as of 06/18/2010 6:00 pm
Personnel: 469
Size: 11,155 acres
Percent Contained: 30%
Costs to Date: $3,886,877
Containment of the fire will not occur until Monsoon Season arrives with three days of substantial wetting rains. Smoke will continue to be noticeable in the weeks to come until rains extinguish the last of the fire.
Note: this announcement indicates that the South Fork Fire is now a project fire. Monsoon rains are not expected for many weeks.
The fire is situated in the bottom of a steep basin. Fuel loadings are dense with a large amount of dead trees and a closed canopy. Direct attack of the fire has been unsuccessful and evaluation of conditions has shown it would be unsafe to place firefighters adjacent to the fire. An indirect strategy will be implemented using the existing road network. These roads will be improved to allow for potential burning operations.
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Situation as of 06/17/2010 6:00 pm
Personnel: 500
Size: 9,791 acres
Percent Contained: 30%
Costs to Date: $2,916,259
Crews continued chipping operations along Forest Road 27 on Division A. Spot fires that were detected in the previous operating period were mopped-up. Indirect line improvement continued on all divisions. Contingency dozer line on Division A has been started and will be completed next operational period.
Div A and G experienced moderate interior island surface fire with single and group tree torching with short upslope runs. The southwest fire perimeter on Polvadera Peak exhibited very high fire behavior with short runs of extreme conditions with some crowning. Profuse spotting up to 1/4 mile was observed. In Division Z, low to moderate surface intensity backing fire was observed with isolated torching.
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Situation as of 06/16/2010 6:00 pm
Personnel: 573
Size: 9,274 acres
Percent Contained: 25%
Costs to Date: $2,276,199
Crews continued to improve the primitive road system in Divisions G and Z in anticipation of firing operations. Although seven spot fires were detected along Forest Road 27 on the West and North, all were picked up by the resources assigned. An area closure has been implemented by the Santa Fe National Forest. Crews began mopping up fireline on sections of Division A. A contingency line has been planned for the segment above DP-20.
Division A and G experienced high fire behavior with periods of very high activity. Single and group tree torching with short upslope runs and spotting were observed.
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Situation as of 06/15/2010 6:00 pm
Personnel: 564
Size: 9,274 acres
Percent Contained: 25%
Costs to Date: $1,725,654
Crews continued constructing fireline and firing along Forest Road 27 on the north flank of the fire. Utilization of primitive roads as means of minimizing the fire area are being implemented within the north flank.
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Situation as of 06/14/2010 6:00 pm
Personnel: 595
Size: 5,343 acres
Percent Contained: 10%
Costs to Date: $1,047,144
Firing operations along Forest Road 27 began and crews are successfully holding the fire on the west flank. Firing of 2.5 miles of road has taken place with appropiate depth for perimeter control. Indirect line construction continues on the south, east and north. Road closures remain in effect.
Division A along FS Road 27 remains the priority to prevent movement across the line onto the Coyote Ranger District. Second priority is Division Z on the south perimeter to prevent movement onto the Santa Clara Indian Reservation. Indirect line construction is estimated to take 6 days. Third priority includes securing the north perimeter to prevent movement onto private land within the Abiquiu Land Grant.
Note: On June 24 the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources has scheduled a hearing on S. 3452, a bill to designate the Valles Caldera National Preserve as a unit of the National Park System. One issue is the change that would occur in fire management from USFS to NPS.
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Situation as of 06/13/2010 6:00 pm
Personnel: 473
Size: 5,143 acres
Percent Contained: 0%
Costs to Date: $526,000
Personnel continued to scout areas where suppression actions can be taken successfully and develop alternatives for contingency. Crews continued preparation of Forest Road 27 and Forest Road 144 in anticipation of firing operations.
Continued evaluation of opportunities for suppression along Forest Road 31 to prevent fire from crossing onto Town of Abiquiu Land Grant.
