Little Bear Fire Update - Ruidoso, New Mexico. June 20, 2012.
#LittleBearFire June 20, 2012 – 9 a.m. – Firefighters Begin to Wrap Up Burnout
JUNE 20, 2012 
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Fire Information: (575)258-6900
Little Bear Fire June 20, 2012 – 9 a.m.
Firefighters Begin to Wrap Up Burnout
Size: approx. 41,718 acres
Containment: 60 %
Resources Committed: Personnel: 935; crews: 8 Type 1, 11 Type 2; engines: 57; helicopters: 4 Type 1, 2 Type 2, 2 Type 3; dozers: 3; water tenders: 15
Today’s weather: 75-88 degrees, relative humidity 12-15%, wind NNW 8-15 mph gusting to 25 mph
Total Injuries to Date: 5
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: The entire White Mountain Wilderness, and that portion of the Smokey Bear
Ranger District south of US 380 to the Mescalero Apache Reservation boundary, including a large area east and north of Ruidoso to the south boundary of the Fort Stanton Recreation Area.
Summary: Black line is now in place from north of Runnels Stables west and south to White Horse Hill in the White Mountain Wilderness. Crews will mop up and hold the edge of the black line today, as helicopters ignite additional backing fires within the burnout area. Fire will be active in the burnout, producing smoke columns from torching and consumption of heavy fuels. Unstable atmosphere will readily disperse smoke, and chance of smoke settling on any community is minimal. Burnout of fuel around the Runnels Stables subdivision should be complete today. Activity on the remainder of the fire will consist of patrol and mop up, and rehabilitation of dozer lines in all divisions. Release of excess resources continues, making these resources available for other assignments.
All subdivisions are now open. Angus, Bonita Park, Ski Run Road, and Bonita Lake are open to residents only. Residents returning to their homes should be alert for fire vehicle traffic and damaged roads.
The Village of Ruidoso wants everyone to know that, despite the fire activity, it is open for business. See the following websites: http://www.discoverruidoso.com/,http://www.ruidoso.net/, and
Evacuations: All campgrounds west of Bonito Lake
Shelters: Pets and livestock may be taken to Pet Paradise in La Luz (575-434-1784), Otero County fairgrounds in Alamogordo (575-434-0788, 575-491-7553, or 575-491-4643), Lincoln County fairgrounds in Capitan (575-808-2814), Humane Society of Lincoln County in Ruidoso (575-257-9841 or 575-378-1039), Ruidoso Animal Clinic (575-257-4027), Dunagan Farms in Ruidoso (575-257-9549 or 575-621-4056), New Mexico Livestock Board (575-649-2758), Carrizozo Animal Shelter (575-648-2351), Thundering Paws in Alto (575-336-7297), and Yolanda and Robert Espinoza (575-354-9019).
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 areFacebook.com/LittleBearFireNM, Twitter.com/T1SWIMT,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/.
The firefighting organization is humbled by the tremendous outpouring of gratitude and support from the community. The following excerpt from the June 18 edition of the Ruidoso Free Press is a succinct summary of the community’s feelings.
“Lincoln County survived the Little Bear Fire with no loss of human life. ICP will pack up, leave a small footprint behind and move on to another fire, in another place. The county will regroup and rebuild because more than a thousand of the country’s finest took time from their lives to become a part of Lincoln County. “
Start Time/Date: Monday, June 4, 2012
Location: Smokey Bear Ranger District, Lincoln NF, including White Mountain Wilderness
Cause: Lightning
Fuels: Mixed conifer, ponderosa pine
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