CIBOLA COUNTY, N.M. – Over the past several weeks, firefighters across Cibola County have responded to an unusual cluster of lightning- caused wildfires as summer thunderstorms moved across western New Mexico.
While the number of fire starts has kept crews busy, every reported wildfire within Cibola County was contained while still small, preventing what could have become a much more dangerous fire season during one of the county's driest years.
Among the incidents was the Rivera Canyon Fire in the southeast Zuni Mountains, the largest of the recent fires at 4 acres. The lightning-caused fire was discovered June 27 and was declared controlled on July 1 after firefighters secured the perimeter and completed suppression operations.
Other recent fires included the Foster Fire (1 acre), Trough Fire (0.1 acre), Hole in the Wall Incident (3 acres), Sandy Hill Incident (0.2 acre), West Canyon Incident (0.1 acre) and the Lost Incident, which was discovered July 7 and ultimately grew to approximately 0.25 acre before being extinguished.
Most of the fires were sparked by lightning following thunderstorms that crossed the region in late June and early July. Firefighters from the U.S. Forest Service and cooperating agencies responded quickly, using engines, hand crews and aerial detection flights to locate and suppress new starts before they could spread.
The rapid response came as 100 percent of Cibola County remained in drought, with much of the county classified in Extreme Drought and the remainder in Severe Drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. The dry conditions meant even small lightning strikes had the potential to ignite vegetation.
Why Is It So Smoky?
Although many residents have noticed heavy smoke hanging over Grants, Milan and surrounding communities in recent days, local officials say it is not coming from active fires in Cibola County.
Cibola County Fire Marshal Dustin Middleton said Saturday, 'We do not have anything burning in our area.'
Instead, the smoke has drifted into western New Mexico from much larger wildfires burning in Utah and Colorado, where thousands of acres continue to burn.
Smoke from large regional fires can travel hundreds of miles depending on weather patterns, affecting air quality even when no fires are burning nearby.
Fire Danger Remains
Even with recent success containing local fires, officials continue to urge residents to remain vigilant.
Summer thunderstorms can bring beneficial rainfall but also produce dry lightning capable of igniting new fires. With drought continuing across Cibola County and fire restrictions still in place on portions of the Cibola National Forest, officials encourage residents to avoid activities that could spark a wildfire and to report smoke immediately.
The recent string of fires demonstrates both the ongoing wildfire risk facing western New Mexico and the effectiveness of rapid initial attack by local, state and federal firefighting agencies, whose quick response kept every reported fire in Cibola County from becoming a large wildfire.
Smoke Drifts into Cibola County From Larger Fires Elsewhere in the Southwest