Firefighters quickly contain new ignitions
CIBOLA COUNTY, N.M. – Over the past two weeks, Cibola County has experienced a steady stream of wildfire starts as lightning from summer thunderstorms ignited dry forests and grasslands across the region.
The good news is that every reported fire has remained small thanks to rapid response from local, state and federal firefighters.
The latest milestone came this week when the U.S. Forest Service announced the Rivera Canyon Fire in the southeast Zuni Mountains has been controlled after burning 4 acres.
Discovered June 27, the lightning-caused fire burned in ponderosa pine and oak west of Forest Service Road 50 and north of N.M. 53. Fire officials said the perimeter has been fully secured and crews are now monitoring the area until the fire is officially declared out.
The Rivera Canyon Fire was the largest of several recent lightningcaused fires reported in and around Cibola County.
Other recent incidents include the Foster Fire, which reached 100 percent containment after burning 1 acre; the Trough Fire, which was held to one-tenth of an acre before firefighters completed suppression operations; and several additional small starts reported through state wildfire tracking systems during the same period.
One fire remains listed as active in the broader Zuni Mountains region. The Tampico Springs Fire, first reported June 25 in neighboring McKinley County, has burned approximately 0.1 acre. Although it is outside Cibola County, the fire is burning in the same mountain range and remains on state wildfire tracking systems.
The cluster of fires illustrates both the danger and the success of New Mexico's wildfire response during the early summer lightning season.
While thunderstorms have brought scattered rainfall to western New Mexico, they have also produced numerous lightning strikes capable of igniting vegetation already stressed by drought. Fire managers have responded aggressively to new starts, using engines, hand crews and aerial detection flights to locate fires before they can grow.
The fires come as 100 percent of Cibola County remains in drought, according to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor. More than 64 percent of the county is classified in Extreme Drought (D3), with the remainder in Severe Drought (D2), leaving all 27,213 residents living under drought conditions.
Stage II fire restrictions remain in effect on the Mt. Taylor Ranger District, and officials continue to urge residents to avoid activities that could spark additional fires.
The Cibola Citizen has requested an updated summary of current fire activity from the Mt. Taylor Ranger District and will provide additional information as it becomes available.