Hondito Fire Update 5/23/2017
Release Date: May 24, 2017
Hondito Fire Update
Location: Tres Piedras Ranger Station Hondito Canyon 4 miles southwest of Tres Piedras 2 miles North of Las Tablas
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Size: 7,020 acres* Size changed due to accurate GPS mapping Cause: Lightning Start Date: May 15, 2017 |
Taos, NM – For Immediate Release- Increasing temperatures and accompanied winds are in the extended forecast, which may increase fire behavior in the interior. Fire personnel will continue to monitor the fire.
The Hondito Fire does not have a planned end date, but fire managers have determined an approximate 15,000 acre planning area within which the fire may run its natural course. However, this does not mean the fire will move across all 15,000 acres, as specific edges of the fire will be suppressed to protect certain values such as public safety, private property, and cultural sites. The wildfire may increase from its current size and smoke may remain visible and linger. Press releases will be published only if there is significant change to fire behavior.
CLOSURE ORDER 02-442: The area under the closure order is adjacent to Township 28 N, Range 9 E, Section 31, Junction of Forest Road (FR) 222/675T and FR 167 to the junction of FR 222/1864 to the US Highway 64 junction approximately three miles north of the Tres Piedras Range District Office.
The closure order includes motorized traffic of any kind in the restricted area. Exemptions include federal, state and local officers, members of an organized rescue team or firefighting force, and anyone with a valid Forest Service permit exempting them from the order.
Forest Service personnel will enforce the orders. Any violation of this prohibition is punishable as a Class B misdemeanor by a fine of not more than $5,000 or individuals and $10,000 for organizations, or by imprisonment for not more than six (6) months or both. [Title 16 USC 551, Title 18 USC 3559, 3571 and 3581]
Historically, low-intensity wildfires burned through southwestern forests every two to 10 years as part of a natural cycle that removed leaf litter, eradicated disease and thinned the understory, making room for new growth. Fire managers are taking advantage of the Hondito Wildfire to return low-intensity fire to this landscape in a controlled operation that meets forest objectives.
The objectives for the Hondito Wildfire include mitigating the risk of high-intensity wildfire by reducing forest fuels, enhancing wildlife habitat by reducing dense understories and increasing forbs and grass cover, improving forest and watershed health, and protecting nearby communities.
Smoke from the Hondito Wildfire may be visible from Tres Piedras, Taos, Questa, US Highway 64, US Highway 285. Smoke-sensitive individuals and people with respiratory problems are encouraged to take precautionary measures. Information on air quality and protecting your health can be found online at the New Mexico Department of Health’s website at https://nmtracking.org/fire.
For fire information, please call the Hondito Wildfire Public Information line from 8am to 8pm at (575)758-6345, or visit Carson National Forest Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/CarsonNF, Twitter @CarsonNF, and NMFireInfo.com.
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