Hermits Peak / Calf Canyon Fire grows to 160,000 acres

Map Calf Canyon & Hermits Peak Fires
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
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 Calf Canyon & Hermits Peak Fires
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.

A zoomable evacuation map is available online.

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.

Below Air Tanker 910, a DC-10, makes a drop after the lead plane marks the spot with smoke. @Ten_Tanker said the video was by @rightturnsonly.

Calf Canyon and Hermits Peak fires burn together, spread northeast for 10 miles

 Updated 8:53 a.m. MDT April 24, 2022

Calf Canyon/Hermits Peak Fire

Map Calf Canyon Fire
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.

Click to see all articles on Wildfire Today, including the most recent, about the Calf Canyon, Hermits Peak, and Cooks Peak fires.

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
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 Cooks Peak Fire 130 a.m. MDT April 24, 2022
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 Calf Canyon & Hermits Peak Fires
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.

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