Magdalena, NM – For Immediate Release – The lightning-caused Vics Peak Fire, burning on the Magdalena Ranger District, Cibola National Forest since June 15, has grown to 14,598 acres, with 24 personnel assigned. 

Light to Moderate fire behavior continued over the Vicks Peak Fire yesterday.  The primary area of fire progression was north and west from West Blue Mountain into the head of Kelly, Post and Coffee Pot Canyons flanking and backing in the 1994 Coffee Pot Fire footprint.  Today, fire crews will continue to focus efforts on constructing control features along Forest Roads and trails in the northwest fire area to protect range infrastructures, cultural sites and critical habitat within the fire perimeter. Crews will continue to evaluate the need for aerial firing.

Weather: The area of high pressure will slowly weaken and shift to the east and south this week, allowing for more moisture to invade western and northern New Mexico, leading to gradually cooler daytime highs and increasing areal coverage with a chance for wetting showers and storms.  Some drier weather with gusty winds will continue to occur over western New Mexico Monday and Tuesday before becoming wetter.   Storms will be generally to the east this afternoon and evening.

Safety: Safety of the public and firefighters is always the top priority in wildland fire operations. Vics Peak Fire operations include best management practices to prevent the transmission of COVID-19 within firefighter crews/operations and within the general public. Medical teams have been placed near all crew camps and operational work areas to support firefighters. The public is reminded to avoid the use of unmanned aerial systems (drones) near wildfires (https://www.fs.usda.gov/managing-land/fire/uas/if-you-fly).

Smoke: Smoke over the fire area has been moderate and will continue to be visible from I-25, NM-1, and NM-107. The Forest Service will coordinate with the New Mexico Department of Transportation and the New Mexico, Environment Department and Department of Health to issue any needed alerts. Additional information can be found at http://nmtracking.org/fire.

Closures: A 10-mile temporary flight restriction remains in place around San Mateo Peak for the safety of all aircraft and ground resources. Forest Road 225, Springtime Campground, Luna Park Campground, and the following trails leading into Apache Kid Wilderness remain closed to the public: Apache Kid, Teepee Peak, Cowboy, Smith, Drift Fence, Milo, Nave, Coffee Pot, Post, Cold Spring, Maverick, San Mateo, Skeleton Ridge, Indian Creek, and Shipman.

Vics Peak Fire Information: 575-418-7875, 2020.vicspeak@firenet.gov

Inciweb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6788/

New Mexico Fire Information: www.nmfireinfo.com

Facebook: Cibola National Forest & National Grasslands (@cibolanf) https://www.facebook.com/cibolanf/

Magdalena, NM – For Immediate Release – The lightning-caused Vics Peak Fire, burning on the Magdalena Ranger District, Cibola National Forest since June 15, has grown to 14,328 acres, with 24 personnel assigned.

Light to Moderate fire behavior continued over the Vicks Peak Fire yesterday.  The primary area of fire progression was north and west from West Blue Mountain, flanking and backing in the 1994 Coffee Pot Fire footprint. Limited aerial ignitions occurred in the evening in the near cub spring in an effort to mitigate high severity fire effects.  Today, fire crews will continue to focus efforts on constructing control features along Forest Roads and trails in the northwest fire area to protect range infrastructures, cultural sites and critical habitat within the fire perimeter. Crews will continue to evaluate the need for aerial firing.

Weather: Record heat to continue Sunday with an unstable airmass while mid-level moisture circulates into western New Mexico and a moist surface boundary sags into the northeast part of New Mexico.  A mix of wet and dry afternoon and evening thunderstorms could develop over the west and central mountain chain, as well as develop in the northeastern part of New Mexico.  The upper high will temporarily shift to the east early next week, allowing for a better chance of wetting showers and storms with a slight cooldown from high temperatures.

Safety: Safety of the public and firefighters is always the top priority in wildland fire operations. Vics Peak Fire perations include best management practices to prevent the transmission of COVID-19 within firefighter crews/operations and within the general public. Medical teams have been placed near all crew camps and operational work areas to support firefighters. The public is reminded to avoid the use of unmanned aerial systems (drones) near wildfires (https://www.fs.usda.gov/managing-land/fire/uas/if-you-fly).

Smoke: Smoke over the fire area has been moderate and will continue to be visible from I-25, NM-1, and NM-107. The Forest Service will coordinate with the New Mexico Department of Transportation and the New Mexico Environment Department and Department of Health to issue any needed alerts. Additional information can be found t http://nmtracking.org/fire.

Closures: A 10-mile temporary flight restriction remains in place around San Mateo Peak for the safety of all aircraft and ground resources. Forest Road 225, Springtime Campground, Luna Park Campground, and the following trails leading into Apache Kid Wilderness remain closed to the public: Apache Kid, Teepee Peak, Cowboy, Smith, Drift Fence, Milo, Nave, Coffee Pot, Post, Cold Spring, Maverick, San Mateo, Skeleton Ridge, Indian Creek, and Shipman.

Vics Peak Fire Information: 575-418-7875, 2020.vicspeak@firenet.gov

Inciweb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6788/

New Mexico Fire Information: www.nmfireinfo.com

Facebook: Cibola National Forest & National Grasslands (@cibolanf) https://www.facebook.com/cibolanf/

Magdalena, NM – For Immediate Release – The lightning-caused Vics Peak Fire, burning on the Magdalena Ranger District, Cibola National Forest since June 15, has grown to 13,981 acres, with 24 personnel assigned.Light to Moderate fire behavior continued over the Vicks Peak Fire yesterday. The fire continues to move between Milo Canyon and Smith Canyon with fire backing slowly into San Mateo Canyon.  The fire continues to progress north from West Blue and Teepee Peak Mountains flanking and backing in the 1994 Coffee Pot Fire footprint. Today, fire crews will secure the fire edge where possible and identify control features along Forest Roads and trails to protect range infrastructures, cultural sites and critical habitat within the fire perimeter. Crews will continue to evaluate the need for aerial firing operations in order to limit severe fire intensities.

Magdalena, NM – For Immediate Release – The lightning-caused Vics Peak Fire, burning on the Magdalena Ranger District, Cibola National Forest since June 15, has grown to 13,477 acres, with 19 personnel assigned.Moderate fire behavior continued over the Vicks Peak Fire yesterday. The fire continues to move between Milo Canyon and Smith Canyon.  The fire is backing and creeping north from West Blue and Teepee Peak Mountains. Today, fire operations will continue to secure the fire edge in Milo Canyon and continue to hold and secure along Forest Roads and trails to protect range infrastructures, cultural sites, private lands, and critical habitat within the fire perimeter. Crews will continue to evaluate the need for aerial firing operations to eliminate fire intensity.

Magdalena, NM – For Immediate Release – The lightning-caused Vics Peak Fire, burning on the Magdalena Ranger District, Cibola National Forest since June 15, has grown to 13076 acres, with 54 personnel assigned.Moderate fire behavior occurred over the Vicks Peak Fire yesterday. The fire continues to progress to the west backing down the slope in Milo Canyon.  Additionally, smoldering and creeping was observed on West Blue and Teepee Peak Mountains on the northern fire perimeter. Today, fire operations will assess opportunities to secure the fire edge in Milo Canyon and continue to hold and secure along Forest Roads and trails to protect range infrastructures, cultural sites, private lands, and critical habitat within the fire perimeter. Any significant shifts in the weather may impact behavior due to developing afternoon and evening thunderstorms activity over the fire perimeter.

Magdalena, NM – For Immediate Release – The lightning-caused Vics Peak Fire, burning on the Magdalena Ranger District, Cibola National Forest since June 15, has grown to 12,990 acres, with 66 personnel assigned.

Minimal fire behavior occurred over the Vics Peak Fire yesterday. Today, fire operations will continue to hold and secure along Forest Roads and trails to protect range infrastructures, cultural sites, private lands, and critical habitat within the fire perimeter. Any significant shifts in the weather may impact behavior due to developing afternoon and evening thunderstorms activity over the fire perimeter. The perimeter of the fire continues to be monitored and patrolled.

Weather: Drier air is forecast to push into the San Mateo Mountain form the west. Afternoon winds will become more northerly but remain light.  Partly cloudy skies with a chance of isolated showers and thunderstorms is possible during the afternoon.  Storms will be possible again on Tuesday through the week along the central mountain chain, with drier conditions expected for most of the remainder of the week with temperatures climbing above normal.

Safety: Safety of the public and firefighters is always the top priority in wildland fire operations. Vics Peak Fire operations include best management practices to prevent the transmission of COVID-19 within firefighter crews/operations and within the general public. Medical teams have been placed near all crew camps and operational work areas to support firefighters. The public is reminded to avoid the use of unmanned aerial systems (drones) near wildfires (https://www.fs.usda.gov/managing-land/fire/uas/if-you-fly).

 moke: Smoke over the fire area has been moderate and will continue to be visible from I-25, NM-1, and NM-107. The Forest Service will coordinate with the New Mexico Department of Transportation and the New Mexico Environment Department and Department of Health to issue any needed alerts. Additional information can be found at http://nmtracking.org/fire.

Closures: A 10-mile temporary flight restriction remains in place around San Mateo Peak for the safety of all aircraft and ground resources. Forest Road 225, Springtime Campground, Luna Park Campground, and the following trails leading into Apache Kid Wilderness remain closed to the public: Apache Kid, Teepee Peak, Cowboy, Smith, Drift Fence, Milo, Nave, Coffee Pot, Post, Cold Spring, Maverick, San Mateo, Skeleton Ridge, Indian Creek, and Shipman.

Vics Peak Fire Information: 505-933-5682, 2020.vicspeak@firenet.gov

Inciweb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6788/

New Mexico Fire Information: www.nmfireinfo.com

Facebook: Cibola National Forest & National Grasslands (@cibolanf) https://www.facebook.com/cibolanf/

Twitter: Cibola NF&Grasslands; (@Cibola_NF) https://twitter.com/cibola_nf?lang=en

Magdalena, NM – Fire Update, July 5, 2020 – The lightning-caused Vics Peak Fire, burning on the Magdalena  Ranger District, Cibola National Forest since June 15, has grown to 12,712 acres, with 66 personnel assigned.

Magdalena, NM – For Immediate Release – The lightning-caused Vics Peak Fire, burning on the Magdalena Ranger District, Cibola National Forest since June 15, has grown to 11,713 acres, with 98 personnel assigned. 

A local district fire management team will begin today managing the Vics Peak Fire. The chance for moderate fire weather conditions will continue over the next few days. The potential for fire growth has slowed dramatically. Today, crews will continue to monitor the fire, rehabilitate recreation sites, fences, cultural sites, private land inholdings, and critical habitat located within the fire perimeter. Smoke impacts will be monitored and mitigated.  The perimeter of the fire area will be secured by using the road systems to patrol.

Weather: Significant shift in fire weather will have an impact on fire behavior. Fire behavior could get very active with any outflow winds. Today, increased moisture across the region will result in increased cloud development and chances for showers and thunderstorms. Any rainfall over the fire will be light and spotty through Sunday. Next week, some drying is expected, with little chance for moisture, returning to a drier fire weather pattern.

Safety: Safety of the public and firefighters is always the top priority in wildland fire operations. Vics Peak Fire operations include best management practices to prevent the transmission of COVID-19 within firefighter crews/operations and within the general public. Medical teams have been placed near all crew camps and operational work areas to support firefighters. The public is reminded to avoid the use of unmanned aerial systems (drones) near wildfires (https://www.fs.usda.gov/managing-land/fire/uas/if-you-fly).

Smoke: Smoke over the fire area has been moderate and will continue to be visible from I-25, NM-1, and NM-107. The Forest Service will coordinate with the New Mexico Department of Transportation and the New Mexico Environment Department and Department of Health to issue any needed alerts. Additional information can be found at http://nmtracking.org/fire.

Closures: A 10-mile temporary flight restriction remains in place around San Mateo Peak for the safety of all aircraft and ground resources. Forest Road 225, Springtime Campground, Luna Park Campground, and the following trails leading into Apache Kid Wilderness remain closed to the public: Apache Kid, Teepee Peak, Cowboy, Smith, Drift Fence, Milo, Nave, Coffee Pot, Post, Cold Spring, Maverick, San Mateo, Skeleton Ridge, Indian Creek, and Shipman.

 Vics Peak Fire Information: 505-933-5682, 2020.vicspeak@firenet.gov

Inciweb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6788/

New Mexico Fire Information: www.nmfireinfo.com

Facebook: Cibola National Forest & National Grasslands (@cibolanf) https://www.facebook.com/cibolanf/