Wildfire Notification #3
The New Mexico Forestry Division would like to update you on a wildfire that is requiring the attention of local, state, and federal resources in New Mexico.
Date/Time/Situation: As of 9:30 a.m., the Oakmont fire is zero percent contained and a GPS ground-truth assessment has defined its size as 120 acres. Crews worked overnight to patrol the fire’s edges and to extinguish smoldering materials using available water tenders. Hand lines were cut by the Interagency Hotshot Crews on scene.
This morning, bulldozers will work to improve and widen those containment lines, and crews will seek to continue their work on interior smoldering. After finding that the fire’s behavior was decreasing, and that a threat to nearby structures was also lessening, a Type-3 Incident Command Team was not ordered. The Oakmont fire will remain a Type-4 incident.
The Oakmont Fire was discovered at 12:28 p.m., Friday, May 3, 2024; it is located in Timberon, NM. The fire is burning in a mixture of pinon, juniper and pine fuels within a populated neighborhood. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Resources: Responding crews include Forestry Division, Rio Grande Type 2IA engines; the US Forest Service; Timberon FD; Smokey Bear and Sacramento IHC Hotshot Crews.
Weather: Currently, the temperature is 72 degrees with winds from the west at 8 mph. Relative humidity is 11%. Winds becoming south/southwest 18-23 mph in the afternoon with gusts as high as 32 mph. A Red Flag Warning and a Fire Weather Watch are both in effect until 9 p.m. today for the area.
Evacuations/ Closures: Otero County will lift their mandatory evacuation order at 12 p.m. today. Residents will be allowed to return to their homes, although they should take precautions near the fire area. Road closures put into effect last night in the area will also be lifted.
Safety: Expect increased activity in the area and on local roads as firefighters and equipment move to new locations. Please stay out of the fire area to allow crews safe access to the fire.
Smoke: Individuals sensitive to wildfire smoke should take precautions and use the New Mexico Department of Health 5-3-1 Visibility Method to determine if it’s safe to be outside. Learn more at https://nmtracking.doh.nm.gov/environment/air/FireAndSmoke.html. An interactive smoke map at https://fire.airnow.gov/ allows you to zoom into your area to see the latest smoke conditions.
Internet/ Social Media: The public can continue to follow fires in New Mexico on InciWeb, New Mexico Fire Information and New Mexico Forestry Division’s X account and Facebook. Fires can also be viewed through the New Mexico Forest & Watershed Institute’s Fire Viewer.