Update: Medio Fire Burns 610 Acres; O% Contained

SFNF News:

The Medio Fire has burned 610 acres off the Rio en Medio Trail on the Española Ranger District of the Santa Fe National Forest (SFNF) between the Rio Nambe and the Rio en Medio, approximately 2 miles north of the Village of Rio en Medio, 2 miles east/southeast of Nambe Reservoir and 5 miles north/northwest of the Santa Fe Ski Basin.

Start Date: Aug. 17, 2020
Cause: Unknown
Location: Rio en Medio Trail, Española Ranger District, Santa Fe National Forest
Acres: Approximately 610 acres
Fuels: Dry mixed conifer, ponderosa pine
Containment: 0%
Total personnel: 138

Highlights: The Southwest Area Type 2 Incident Management Team 4, led by Incident Commander Carl Schwope, assumed command of the Medio Fire this morning, Friday, Aug. 21, 2020, at 6. a.m. A Type 2 Incident Management Team brings additional resources and more robust management capabilities to manage the increasingly complex fire.

Community Meeting: The Incident Management Team will host a virtual community meeting at 6 p.m. today at https://facebook.com/santafeNF/. A recording will be posted following the meeting. No account is required to view the video. If a pop-up box appears when you first navigate to the link, you can use the scroll bar on the right to scroll down to the view and/or click “not now” to minimize the login pop-up. We will monitor online Facebook questions during the meeting, or you can email us your questions in advance at 2020.medio@firenet.gov.

Operations: Resources on scene include the Mt. Taylor Hotshots, Smokey Bear Hotshots, Silver City Hotshots, Red River Fire Chasers, two engines, a Type 3 helicopter and a fixed-wing aircraft. Crews are steering the fire eastward toward the burn scar from the 2011 Pacheco Fire. The intent is to keep the fire between the Rio en Medio drainage to the south and Rio Nambe drainage to the north. Due to the remote location of the fire and the rugged terrain, the strategy will be a combination of direct and indirect perimeter control and point protection.

Weather: Mostly sunny in the morning, then partly cloudy with a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon. Gusty and erratic winds are expected, with above normal temperatures persisting.

Safety: Health and safety of firefighters and the public is the first priority. Firefighters are conducting operations under protocols to mitigate the risk of COVID-19. Members of the public should stay away from fire operations and staging areas, including the Rio en Medio Community Center, Nambe Reservoir, and the Rio en Medio (#163), Viejo (#179), Borrego (#150), Nambe (#160), and Capulin (#158) Trails on the Santa Fe National Forest. 

Smoke: Smoke from the Medio Fire is likely to be visible from Santa Fe and surrounding communities as well as along the I-25 and US-285 corridors. 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 https://www.env.nm.gov/air-quality/.

Search
LOS ALAMOS

ladailypost.com website support locally by OviNuppi Systems