Mt. Taylor, Magdalena, Mountainair and Sandia Ranger Districts
Albuquerque, NM – May 12, 2022 –The Cibola National Forest and National Grasslands has moved to Very High Fire Danger Rating on Mt. Taylor, Magdalena, Mountainair and Sandia Ranger Districts.
The Fire Danger Rating is calculated by measuring the dryness of wood, grass and other combustible material, weather conditions and the terrain. The combination of these factors results in one of five fire danger levels: low, moderate, high, very high and extreme.
Fire managers consider several factors when elevating the fire danger level. Data from Remote Weather Stations (RAWS) located across the forest and grasslands are aggregated together, producing the Energy Release Component (ERC). As live fuels cure and dead fuels dry, the ERC will increase and can be described as a build-up index. Each daily calculation considers the past 7 days in calculating the new number. This data is evaluated in addition to the number of human-caused fires, red flag and critical fire days. For more information on Fire Danger Ratings go to Southwest Coordination Center – Fire Danger Descriptions.
Stage 2 Fire Restrictions: On April 28th the Cibola NF & NGs implemented Stage 2 Fire Restrictions on the mountain districts. Order 03-0724
The Southwest Area is currently at Preparedness Level 4. Preparedness Levels run on a scale from 1 to 5, 5 being the highest, and are dictated by fuel and weather conditions, fire activity, and resource availability. More information on interagency fire incidents and resources go to the Southwest Coordination Center website.
All Cibola NF & NGs fire information will be posted on the Cibola NF & NGs website, New Mexico Fire Information website, and the Cibola NF & NGs Facebook & Twitter pages.
For further information contact the Cibola NF & NGs district offices:
Magdalena Ranger District Office: 575-854-2281
Mountainair Ranger District Office: 505-847-2990
Mt. Taylor Ranger District Office: 505-287-8833
Sandia Ranger District Office: 505-281-3304
Black Kettle NGs Ranger District Office: 580-497-2143
Kiowa and Rita Blanca NGs Ranger District Office: 575-374-9652
Cibola National Forest and National Grasslands Supervisor’s Office: 505-346-3900
###