Total Personnel: 428         

Location: San Mateo Mountains, Magdalena Ranger District, Socorro County, NM

Fuels: Pine, Pinyon-Juniper and Grass

Highlights:  Thursday was a solid day on the Bear Trap Fire as crews patrolled fire containment lines and conducted mop up operations along the southern portion of the fire. Today’s acreage reflects the total perimeter of the fire line, there was no significant growth to actual area burned. Some pockets of interior timber and grass continue to burn as expected but pose little threat to the line. Wednesday night’s burning operations were successful in the reduction of unburned fuel near the fire perimeter. Crews on the east and northwest portion of the fire have begun suppression repair work. A daily operational briefing video explaining details of the Bear Trap Fire operations can be viewed on the Cibola National Forest Facebook page. 

Operations:  Mop up and patrol operations will continue today along the southern half of the fire with crews moving deeper into the fire’s interior working toward the goal of complete suppression. Suppression repair work including chipping, dozer line rehabilitation and establishing erosion control will continue where possible under the guidance of Resource Advisors. With winds expected to pick up and conditions getting hotter and drier, crews will be available for initial attack if any new fires start in the area.

Weather: Friday, a low-pressure system will create a southwesterly flow over the fire with increasing temperatures, increasing winds and reducing humidity over the weekend – conditions similar to last week. A Red Flag Warning has been issued for the area for Saturday and a Fire Weather Watch for Sunday. A weekend weather briefing can be viewed on the Cibola National Forest Facebook page.

Closures and Restrictions: The Cibola National Forest and National Grasslands (NF & NGs) have now issued an updated fire area, road and trail closure (No. 03-0728) to protect public health and safety during fire operations on the Bear Trap Fire. This closure order expands the previous closure area to provide for continued firefighter safety during wildland fire suppression and emergency operations. This order supersedes the previous order No. 03-0726. Based on high fire danger and severe fire weather conditions, the Cibola NF & NGs have also implemented Stage 2 Fire Restrictions on the Magdalena Ranger District (No. 03-0724). Both closure orders and maps are available at https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/cibola/alerts-notices.

Safety: The health and safety of firefighters and the public are always the first priority. Members of the public should stay away from Bear Trap Fire operations. A temporary flight restriction (TFR) is in place over the area, which includes unmanned aircraft, or drones. More information on the dangers drones pose to wildland firefighting aircraft and personnel on the ground can be found at https://www.nifc.gov/drones/.

Smoke: Smoke from the Bear Trap Fire and other nearby fires may be visible in the areas of Alamo, Datil, Magdalena, Socorro, Winston, and San Antonio, NM. Smoke-sensitive individuals and people with respiratory problems or heart disease are encouraged to take precautionary measures. Information on air quality and protecting your health can be found at the New Mexico Department of Health Environmental Public Health Tracking website: nmtracking.org. An interactive smoke map at https://fire.airnow.gov/ allows you to zoom into your area to see the latest smoke conditions.

Fire updates are posted on InciWeb, Cibola NF & NGs website, Facebook and Twitter pages, the NM Fire Information website.

Email: 2022.beartrap@firenet.gov •  Phone: (928) 362-2906 • Office Hours: 8:00 AM – 8:00 PM