CIBOLA COUNTY, N.M. – In the morning of Oct. 6 phones across Cibola County began ringing when the county’s emergency information line, Code Red, sent out a message to inform citizens that evacuations were underway and certain forest roads were being closed off. The initial message didn’t leave a lot of additional information, which prompted a series of messages from Code Red to help explain the situation.
A new fire, known as the Colorado 2 Fire, was identified on the north side of Mount Taylor, in the Colorado Canyon and San Mateo Mountains region. This fire prompted an evacuation of people close to the fire, this included campers, hikers and piñon pickers.
As of press time, the fire was identified as being 100 acres and potentially having been started on Oct.5 due to unknown causes. Firefighters from the Cibola National Forest and Bureau of Indian Affairs are assisting in putting the fire out, according to New Mexico Fire Information, a resource for fire managers to update the public about the status of the fires they are combatting.
Currently the Mexican Spotted Owl habitat and “rangeland infrastructure” is in danger from the fire, according to the NM Fire Info. No houses or structures are in danger as of press time.
Due to the ongoing pandemic the firefighters are having to combat this fire with COVID-19-safe protocols, the team reminds drone enthusiasts that when drones are flown over an active fire site, they cannot fly their equipment to fight the fire.
The Cibola Citizen will continue to monitor the situation.