Summary
Fire Suppression efforts continue on the South Tularosa Fire, which is entirely on Mescalero Apache Tribal lands. Most activity today will center on felling hazard trees near roads, beginning fireline rehabilitation, and monitoring and suppressing any hot spots.
In general, weather is expected to support fire suppression with some gusts reaching 25-30mph.
The Southwest Area Type 1 Incident Management Team will transition to a Type 3 organization with Dave Koch as Incident Commander. This management organization is more effectively matched with the decreasing fire complexity. Approximately 140 firefighters will remain to engage in fire suppression activity on the South Tularosa Fire.
This will be the final update from the Southwest area Incident Management Team, with Bill Van Bruggen as Incident Commander. We would like to thank everyone for their support during this incident.
The community of Mescalero is open to visitors, with some restrictions, such as no open flame permitted. Silver Lake, Ruidoso Cabins, Able Cabins, and Mescalero Lake are open to the public. The backcountry forest lands of the Mescalero Apache Tribal Reservation are presently closed to the public. For daily updates and changes in restirctions, call the Tribal Conservation Office at (575) 464-9323.
For more information about the South Tularosa Fire, please call (575) 464-0117. Incident information is also posted on www.inciweb.org.
Basic Information
| Incident Type | Wildland Fire |
|---|---|
| Cause | Under Investigation |
| Date of Origin | 05/01/2008 at 00 hrs. |
| Location | Mescalero, NM |
| Incident Commander | Bill Vanbruggen |
Current Situation
| Total Personnel | 461 |
|---|---|
| Size | 3,860 acres |
| Percent Contained | 100% |
| Fuels Involved | Burning in models 2,5,9,10,11. Southwestern edge of the fire includes very dry scrub oak component. Canopy cover in the timber fuels (mixed conifer and Ponderosa pine mixed with Douglas fir) ranges from 60 to 80%. Canopy Bulk Densities are at critical thresholds and are able to sustain an active crown fire within timber fuel types. Heavy 2007 precipitation has caused a high load of now cured fuels. Winter 2008 was devoid of moisture, therefore current fuel moistures are very dry. |
| Fire Behavior | Smoldering stumps. |
| Significant Events | Not available |
Outlook
| Planned Actions | Mop-up 3 chains in, patrol for spots, identify any unburned fuel near perimeter and mitigate any threats to the line. |
|---|---|
| Growth Potential | Low. |
| Terrain Difficulty | Medium. |
| Remarks | Not available |
Weather
| Current Wind Conditions | 35 mph SW |
|---|---|
| Current Temperature | 74 degrees |
| Current Humidity | 10 % |
