Thompson Ridge Fire: Today Marks Entire Week With No Perimeter Growth

Photo by Kristen Honig/Valles Caldera Trust

Thompson Ridge Fire

Acres: 23,903; Start date: May 31, 2013; Cause: Downed power line; Location: Valles Caldera National Preserve; Containment: 90 percent; Fuels: Mixed conifer and Ponderosa pine; Terrain: Steep, rugged; Resources: 3 crews, 6 engines, 4 water tenders, 2 dozers; Total personnel: 174 and Available air support: 3 helicopters.

Summary: Today marks an entire week with no new perimeter growth in the fire. Most of the activity continues to be within the interior of the fire where unburned fuels continue to smolder and burn. Today crews will continue mop up and patrol all divisions of the fire. Rehab is nearing completion on the Valles Caldera National Preserve.

Helicopter water drops will continue throughout the day to cool areas of the fire that threaten to become active. Low humidity and winds gusting to 45 miles an hour could contribute to increased fire activity within the interior which may create smoke plumes.

An interested and engaged crowd of 70 local residents attended the Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) team public meeting at the Valles Caldera Science and Education Center in Jemez Springs last night. BAER will continue fire damage assessments and present updated findings late next week. For more information on BAER activities, go to http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/3430/ or call (707) 853-4243.

Open and active: Communities in and around the Santa Fe National Forest remain open and accessible including Jemez Springs, Jemez Pueblo, Santa Clara Pueblo, Los Alamos and Bandelier National Monument. Camping, hiking and other recreational opportunities are available in these areas.

Smoke: For more smoke information and air quality forecasts, please visit the New Mexico Environment Department’s website at http://www.nmenv.state.nm.us/aqb and https://nmtracking.org/fire.

Openings: The main entrance to the Valles Caldera National Preserve is open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. The public can drive to the Valle Grande Staging Area where they can visit the gift shop or view elk and other wildlife in the area.  All other areas of the Valles Caldera will remain closed.

Closures: The Fenton Lake State Park will remain closed to the public until further notice. The Santa Fe National Forest will be going into closure beginning at 8 a.m. Monday, June 24. The exceptions to this closure are the Rio Chama Scenic River which will remain open to the public under fire restrictions and the Valle Grande staging area of the Valles Caldera. 

For more information regarding the fire, visit www.inciweb.org or follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/ThompsonRdgFire. Additional photos and information are available at www.facebook.com/ThompsonRdgFire and www.flickr.com/ThompsonRdgFire.

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