SFNF News:
The lightning sparked Venado Fire that began July 20 in the Jemez Ranger District of the Santa Fe National Forest has consumed 4,150 acres of Ponderosa Pine and is now 66 percent contained.
Weather: Rain is forecasted through today, then a drying trend with above normal temperatures, until another round of predicted rain arrives later next week
Resources: 94 personnel
Situation: Resources completed containment lines on the Western Flank of the fire from Deer Creek Landing to above the Joaquin Drainage and FR 488. The entire fire perimeter is now in Mop up phase and containment percentages are likely to start increasing daily. The Type III Fire Management organization continues to work closely with the Jemez Ranger District and the Pueblo of Jemez to minimize adverse effects to values at risk, including but not limited to archaeological sites, the Rio Guadalupe and critical habitats for Threatened or Endangered Species.
Fire Suppression Repair, as well as BAER (Burned Area Emergency Rehabilitation) analysis, is ongoing to minimize adverse effects from suppression activities such as heavy equipment, as well as mitigation work to reduce post fire erosion damage to roadways, trails, and critical habitat. The Type III Fire Management organization plans to continue to downsize in overall resources committed to the incident today and tomorrow, and eventually return the management of the fire back to the Jemez Ranger Districts Type IV Incident commander by Sunday.
Closures: The Venado Fire temporary area closure order remains in effect and includes Forest Roads 376 and 488 in their entirety. The closure order, including a map of the restricted area, is posted on the SFNF website under Alerts and Notices.
Smoke/Air Quality: Although some smoke may be visible from the Venado fire as interior pockets of unburned fuel consume, no significant smoke impacts are foreseen for any of the previously effected areas for the remaining duration of the incident.
Smoke-sensitive individuals and people with respiratory or heart disease should be prepared to exercise precautionary measures. Information on air quality and protecting your health using the 5-3-1 visibility method can be found at the New Mexico Department of Health’s website https://nmtracking.org/fire or by calling 1.888.878.8992. For information on the HEPA filter loan program: https://www.santafefireshed.org/hepa-filter-loan-program/.
Fire updates are posted on Inciweb at https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5996/, the New Mexico Fire Information website at www.nmfireinfo.com, and on Twitter @SantaFeNF and www.facebook.com/SantaFeNF.
For more information, please contact the Jemez Ranger District at (575).829.3535.
