September 3, 2014, Santa Fe, NM
The lightning caused fire, on Santa Fe NationalForest’s Jemez Ranger District, is located five miles south of State Highway 4 and six miles east of Jemez Springs.
Fire managers were very pleased with the activity on the Pino Fire yesterday. Firefighters used hand and aerial ignitions to direct the wildfire to control features, removing hazardous fuels and minimizing the threat of future high intensity wildfires. The Pino wildfire is now estimated at 1,618 acres.
Pioneer forest manager Aldo Leopold stated that the first rule of intelligent tinkering is to save all the parts. For decades, natural fire was the part missing from forested ecosystems. Management of the Pino wildfire is a fine example of how natural fire can be used to benefit the landscape and all of its components.
Hand and aerial ignitions will be used again today to direct the wildfire over an area similar in size to yesterday’s activity. Large columns of smoke from this ignition will be visible from Jemez Springs, Jemez Pueblo, Los Alamos, Albuquerque, Santa Fe and surrounding communities yesterday. Travel along Interstate 25, US 550, and NM 4 may be impacted. Motorists are advised to proceed with caution when smoke limits visibility along their travel route.
If necessary, Sandoval County EOC Code Red Reverse 911 system will be utilized to distribute important safety messages specific to areas that could potentially be affected by the fire. For safety notifications in Sandoval County, sign up at: http://www.sandovalcounty.com/