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Santa Fe National Forest Manages lightning-caused Tanques Fire
The Tanques Wildfire in the northwest corner of the Cuba Ranger District, around 25 miles north of Cuba, was caused by lightning.
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Santa Fe National Forest announced Thursday that lightning caused the Tanques Wildfire in the northwest corner of the Cuba Ranger District, around 25 miles north of Cuba.
The fire was first reported on July 18. Currently, the fire is 13 acres, burning in ponderosa pine, pinyon-juniper and oak.
Santa Fe National Forest will manage the fire as a Type 3 incident with a confine and contain strategy. Crews will manage the fire within a predetermined area (confine) and use points to stop the fire’s spread (contain). To accomplish this strategy, crews will conduct firing operations using aerial and hand ignitions within a 7000-acre planned perimeter as early as July 25 and use roads (Forest Road 313), hand lines and natural barriers as containment lines.
Santa Fe National Forest fire managers had planned to implement prescribed fire this fall within the current fire area. The primary objectives are to provide for firefighter and public safety and improve wildlife habitat. The fire is burning in an area that has already gone through the National Environmental Policy Act process and a landscape that has been thinned and treated with prescribed fire in the past.
“We were fortunate to have a lightning strike in an area on schedule to be burned this fall. By managing this fire now, there will be no interruption to the fall hunting season in the area. Successful completion of this work will provide the elk and mule deer populations improved forage habitat for many years to come,” Cuba District Ranger Patrick Petracca said.
Fire crews are working with stakeholders and mitigating any risk to private landowners in the vicinity. There are no risks to nearby communities, and no evacuations will be required. There will be a closure of roads around the planned perimeter of the project area during ignition operations.
Smoke may be visible from communities along Highway 112 including El Vado and Llaves, New Mexico, and from the Jicarilla Apache Nation Indian Reservation. View an interactive smoke map on AirNow Fire and Smoke Map. To learn more about smoke impacts visit Wildfire and Prescribed Fire Smoke Resources (nm.gov).
