Calf Canyon – Hermits Peak Fire in northern New Mexico, May 10, 2022. Seen from Santa Fe. Photo by Allen Olson.
Most of the growth of the Calf Canyon – Hermits Peak Fire Wednesday was on the north end where it spread for one to three miles further north and northeast. As of Wednesday night at 10:39 it remained west of Highway 434. It increased by about 22,000 acres Wednesday to bring the total up to 259,810 acres.
3-D Map of the Calf Canyon / Hermits Peak Fire, looking south. The red line was the perimeter at 10:39 p.m. MDT May 11, 2022. The white line was the perimeter about 24 hours before. Map of the Calf Canyon / Hermits Peak Fire. The red line was the perimeter at 10:39 p.m. MDT May 11, 2022. The white line was the perimeter about 24 hours before. Firefighters hold the Calf Canyon -Hermits Peak Fire at Highway 434, May 10, 2022. Inciweb.
Lone Peak Hotshots conduct a burning operation on the Cerro Pelado Fire in Northern New Mexico, May 10, 2022. Inciweb.
Calf Canyon / Hermits Peak Fire
The Calf Canyon / Hermits Peak Fire made large runs on the north side Tuesday. The area that spotted over Highway 518 a couple of days ago east of Holman spread six miles farther north. Another slopover occurred Tuesday northwest of Holman and ran four miles to the north. When the fire was mapped at 11 p.m. Tuesday the fire had not spread east of the 434 road.
Map of the Calf Canyon / Hermits Peak Fire. The red line was the perimeter at 11 p.m. MDT May 10, 2022. The white line was the perimeter about 24 hours before.
On the south end east of Barillas peak, an area that has been very active recently, it moved another two miles to the south.
Tuesday afternoon I briefly checked an aircraft tracking website and quite a few aircraft working the fire, thanks to a decrease in wind speeds and turbulence. At that time there were two large air tankers (MD-87s), one very large air tanker (DC-10), four scooping air tankers, at least two helicopters, as well as a lead plane and an air attack.
The blaze has now burned 236,939 acres, an increase of about 33,000 acres in 24 hours, and is now 13 miles southwest of the Cooks Peak Fire.
Cerro Pelado Fire
The map produced by an aircraft Tuesday night found incremental differences in the fire perimeter, but no large additional runs. Most of the changes were due to firefighters conducting tactical burning operations to tie in the fire’s edge to roads or other firelines.
The fire has burned 42,491 acres.
8:08 a.m. MDT May 10, 2022
Map of the Calf Canyon Hermits Peak Fire. The red line was the perimeter at 10:24 p.m. MDT May 9, 2022. The white line was the perimeter about 24 hours before. The orange areas represent intense heat when the fire was mapped.
The Calf Canyon / Hermits Peak Fire near Los Vegas, NM grew substantially in two areas Monday and had burned a total of 203,920 acres by evening. On the north side, the spot fire east of Highway 581 that was 200 acres Sunday night spread east for more than 5 miles and burned about 8,000 acres by Monday night. When the fire was mapped at 10:24 p.m. Monday firefighters were holding it at the 434 road.
Calf Canyon – Hermits Peak Fire, Division Bravo at 2 a.m. May 10, 2022. Cory Carlson.
On the southwest side 9 miles west of Las Vegas near the A18A road the blaze spread for another mile and a half to the south. Operations Section Chief Todd Abel said Monday evening that the fire in that area was still within contingency firelines that have been constructed further south. Hand crews and engines are in the area improving lines and protecting structures.
To see all articles on Wildfire Today about the Calf Canyon / Hermits Peak Fire, including the most recent, click here.
On Monday there were scattered areas on the west side of the fire that were very active late in the afternoon.
The very strong wind prevented air tankers from working Monday, but Mr. Abel was gratified that a small Air Attack plane was able to find an altitude without too much turbulence and was able to reconnoiter and provide information to personnel on the ground. At one point we saw on an aircraft tracking site that the aircraft was orbiting at 20,000 feet, much higher than their usual operating altitude.
The Cerro Pelado Fire 7 miles southwest of Los Alamos was active Monday on the northeast and southeast sides. It was mapped Monday night at 42,491 acres, an increase of about 1,500 acres, and still had not crossed Highway 4.
Map of the Cerro Pelado Fire. The red line was the perimeter at 10:24 p.m. MDT May 9, 2022. The white line was the perimeter about 24 hours before. The orange areas represent intense heat when the fire was mapped.
Nearly all of New Mexico is under a Red Flag Warning Tuesday due to strong winds and low humidity.
Map, Calf Canyon & Hermits Peak Fires at 4:38 a.m. MDT May 4, 2022.
Air tankers and helicopters assisting firefighters Tuesday provided an opportunity to engage aggressively on the ground. Structure protection, line construction and firing operations continued Wednesday.
The fire has grown to 160,104 acres and has destroyed 170 residences and 117 other structures.
To see all articles on Wildfire Today about the Calf Canyon and Hermits Peak Fires, including the most recent, click HERE.
Six Structure Protection Groups across the fire have been focusing on removing fuels, constructing line, and deploying other protection measures around homes and communities.
Map south side of Calf Canyon & Hermits Peak Fires at 4:38 a.m. MDT May 4, 2022.
Crews continue to conduct firing operations to remove fuel between containment lines and the uncontrolled fire edge to control portions of fire. One of the largest is on the south end of the fire west of Las Vegas. It began near the Bradner Reservoir and worked south past Luna Community College down to Highway 283, a distance of 5.3 miles.
Firefighters are removing fuel along the north side of Highway 283 in case the fire comes down that far. This will also facilitate using the highway to anchor a firing operation if needed to keep the fire north of the highway.
Map north side of Calf Canyon & Hermits Peak Fires at 4:38 a.m. MDT May 4, 2022.
On the north side of the fire a dozer line was constructed south of Cleveland and Mora from which crews burned out to help protect the communities.
The weather forecast for Thursday indicates that the wind speeds will be lower than they have been for several days, 17 mph out of the west-northwest with relative humidity in the low teens. Friday will be similar, with slightly stronger winds from the west. The strong winds will return Saturday through Tuesday, out of the west and southwest. The speeds will be in the high 20s gusting close to 40 mph with single digit humidity.
Aviation resources include large and very large air tankers, 14 helicopters, and six water-scooping air tankers. The scooper planes are obtaining water at Lake Isabel which is on private property.
Other resources on the fire include 104 engines and 23 hand crews for a total of 1,208 personnel.
In the video below a firefighter ignites a burning operation near Highway 283.
Map of the Calf Canyon Fire showing the perimeter in red at 10:45 p.m. MDT April 23, 2022. The white line was the perimeter about 24 hours before. The red dots represent heat detected by a satellite at 2:45 a.m. MDT April 24.
As the wind speeds decreased from the gale force conditions seen Friday, firefighters on the Calf Canyon and Hermits Peak fires that burned together were able to re-engage Saturday. The blazes are about 10 miles north of Las Vegas, New Mexico.
Crews are working on structure protection out ahead of the fire, removing fuel near homes in order to reduce their vulnerability. Dozers are putting in fire line where the terrain permits and the seven hand crews are working in steeper, less rocky areas.
Even though the fires have merged they are still being treated separately in reports. The combined size determined by a mapping flight at 10:45 p.m. Saturday was 54,004 acres.
“We don’t have enough resources to do everything we want to do at one time so we have to prioritize the resources we have at the right location,” said Incident Commander Carl Schwope in a briefing Saturday evening.
Hermits Peak Fire April 18, 2022 before it merged with the Calf Canyon Fire. By @jennalunaphoto
Reports filed Friday night showed that only seven hand crews were assigned and only one of those was a higher qualified Type 1 crew. A total of 526 personnel were on the fire.
The Incident Management Team that is handling both incidents has ordered “hundreds” of resources, but those orders can only be filled if the personnel and equipment are available.
As of Saturday evening the fire had not crossed the 518 road near the junction of road 161, but it was close and the fire was active in that area.
The Hermits Peak Fire was caused by a prescribed fire that escaped on the Santa Fe National Forest at 4:30 p.m. April 6, 2022. No cause has been released for the Calf Canyon Fire first reported on April 19.
Cooks Peak Fire
The Cooks Peak Fire nine miles south of Cimarron, NM was less active than the Calf Canyon Fire, but its spread was also slowed by a decrease in winds. A mapping flight Saturday night determined it had grown to 51,982 acres.
Map of the Cooks Peak Fire showing the perimeter in red at 1:30 a.m. MDT April 24, 2022. The white line was the perimeter about 24 hours before. The red dots represent heat detected by a satellite at 2:45 a.m. MDT April 24.
Reports submitted Friday evening showed there were only nine hand crews assigned, with one being a highest qualified Type 1 crew. A total of 383 personnel were on the fire.
8:26 a.m. MDT April 23, 2022
Map of the Calf Canyon & Hermits Peak Fires. The red lines were mapped by an aircraft at 9:10 p.m. MDT April 22, 2022. The white lines were the perimeters about 24 hours before. The red dots represent heat detected by a satellite as late as 3:07 a.m.
Strong winds and low humidities combined to cause two fires to merge and spread 10 miles through dry vegetation in Northern New Mexico Friday. A third fire was also very active. Those fires have now burned a total of approximately 88,000 acres.
