#littlebearfire June 30, 2012 @ 7:00 A.M. – Final Little Bear Fire Update

JUNE 30, 2012 BY JMYSLIVY

Summary: The Pecos Zone Type III Incident Management Team will transition the fire back to the local Type 3 Incident Commander on Saturday, June 30th at 6:00 a.m.Buck Mountain Road continues to be closed due to the removal of hazard trees. The Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) over the fire will continue to be in effect until Wednesday. Flooding is still a possibility along areas of Bonito Creek with thunderstorms and showers predicted for the next couple of days. When in an area that has been damaged, especially near drainages, if thunder cells build, rain is falling or imminent please immediately leave the area and seek higher ground for safety. Aviation resources are supporting the Horse Canyon Fire near Queen, NM.

For information concerning the fire and rehabilitation efforts please contact the following number: (575) 224-2237 (BAER).

Detected: Monday, June 4, 2012 Containment: 95% percent

Location: Smokey Bear Ranger District, Lincoln NF Fuel Type: Mixed Conifer, Ponderosa Pine

Cause: Lightning Injuries: 6

Today’s weather: Temp: 73-88, RH: 16 % -26 %, Winds: WNW 10 – 15 gusts to 25

Current Size: estimated at 44,330 acres

Structures destroyed: 254 (242 residential & commercial structures and 12 outbuildings)

Road Closures: NM 532 (Ski Run Road) west from the softball complex near NM 48 junction, and Forest Road 107; are open to residents only

Area Closures: Portions of the Smokey Bear Ranger District to re-open. The southern portion of the Smokey Bear Ranger District closed during the fire is now open. The area south of the Ski Run Road and on both sides of Highway 70 from Ruidoso to the forest boundary near Glencoe is now open for use. This includes areas known as Cedar Creek, Gavilan Ridge, Little Creek, Eagle Creek, Devil’s Canyon and Hale Lake. Due to previous closure orders, the North side of Cedar Creek and Grindstone area will remain closed.

Area closures include:

All access to the Bonito Recreation Corridor off of FS Road 107 and 108 which includes established and dispersed campgrounds, hiking trails and trail heads.

All access off of Hwy 532 (Ski Run Road) which includes Monjeau Lookout Road, Spring Canyon Trailhead, Eagle Creek FS Road 127A, Oakgrove Campground, and Buck Mountain.Three Rivers Campground and Trail 44 off of Hwy 54. These closures are in effect to ensure firefighter and public safety until suppression and rehabilitation efforts have been completed within the burned area.

All roads accessing private land within the Little Bear Fire area are now open. Some roads accessing the Lincoln National Forest remain closed. These include NM 532 (Ski Run Road) west from the softball complex

near NM 48 junction and Forest Road 107 above Bonito Dam (a permit from the Forest Service is required to access this area.). These permits will not supersede evacuation orders from with the Lincoln County Sheriff’s or Ruidoso Police Departments when flooding occurs.

For additional details about closures, contact the Smokey Bear Ranger District at 575-257-4095.

Resources Committed:

Crews	1
Engines	6
Dozers	0
Helicopters	2
Watertenders	2
Total Personnel	176

The Village of Ruidoso wants everyone to know that, despite the fire activity, it is open for business. See the following websites:www.discoverruidoso.com/, www.ruidoso.net/ , andwww.ruidosonow.com/

Many residents of the community have expressed interest in making monetary donations to the firefighting organizations. Local fire departments should be considered first. Additionally, the following websites provide avenues for making donations: www.wffoundation.org, andwww.redcrossnewmexico.org.

Information on wildland fire smoke and your health can be found on the New Mexico Department of Health’s website at: https://nmtracking.unm.edu/eh_alerts/, or call the New Mexico statewide health line at (877)304-4161. Additional websites for accurate fire information are Facebook.com/LittleBearFireNM, Flickr.com.photos.lincolnnationalforest (maps), and Flickr.com/photos/wildland-fires-2012/ (photos).

As the monsoons approach, heavy rainfall may produce flash floods. The National Weather Service Advisories are available at: http://www.weather.gov/abq.

A predictive model for probability of thunderstorms over burned areas, known as Burn Scar Thunderstorm Threat Matrix, is available at: http://www.srh.noaa.gov/images/fxc/abq/graphicast/image_full5.gif. Register for Lincoln County CodeRED Emergency Alerts at http://www.lincolncountynm.net/.

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