Despite the volume of fires, the New Mexico Forestry Division reports that more than 80% of wildfires in the state this season have been controlled at fewer than 10 acres, while approximately 1% have grown beyond 1,000 acres.
Source: New Mexico Forestry Division (via Facebook)
Photos: Courtesy
New Mexico’s state wildland firefighting crews are among the resources responding to the Frijoles Fire following a fire season that has kept crews active across the state and, more recently, elsewhere in the West.
The Mimbres, Pecos River and Rio Grande fire crews have been responding to wildfires since the beginning of the year as continued drought and a slow start to the summer monsoon contributed to persistent fire conditions across New Mexico.
Despite the volume of fires, the New Mexico Forestry Division reports that more than 80% of wildfires in the state this season have been controlled at fewer than 10 acres, while approximately 1% have grown beyond 1,000 acres.
The state’s wildland firefighters are positioned across six forestry districts as part of New Mexico’s effort to maintain year-round firefighting capacity.
That workforce has also allowed New Mexico crews to assist with fires outside the state.
The Mimbres crew recently returned from an assignment on the Second Flat Fire near Burns, Oregon, where New Mexico personnel assisted during Oregon’s own difficult fire season.
Following that assignment, the crew returned to New Mexico and is now assisting with suppression efforts on the Frijoles Fire.
The Forestry Division attributes its ability to maintain and deploy the crews in part to increased investment in the state’s wildland firefighting capacity and a record number of applicants for firefighting positions.
With wildfire activity extending across more of the calendar year, the state has increasingly emphasized maintaining a firefighting workforce capable of responding throughout the year rather than staffing primarily around a traditional fire season.
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