Three Rivers Fire Final Official Update 50% Containment Threat Under Control.

Three Rivers Fire Update – May 8, 2021

This is the final official update for the Three Rivers Fire. If you have fire questions, please contact the Smokey Bear Ranger District at (575) 257-4095.

Acres: 7,033 acres 

Containment: 50%

Resources: 71 Vegetation: Grass, dead/down timber, and mixed conifer.

Start Date: April 26, 2021 Cause: Unknown, Under Investigation

Origin Location: ½ mile north of Three Rivers Campground; fire spread towards Ski Apache and the South Fork/Bonito area.

Ruidoso, New Mexico, May 6, 2021 – Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) efforts began on the Three Rivers Fire burn scar. Resource specialists are beginning to assess the area that burned and come up with a detailed plan on how best to rehabilitate the landscape. Wildlife biologists and botanists will check habitat for endangered animals and plants. Soil samples taken by soil scientists will determine how hot the fire burned and to what level the soil has been damaged by the heat. Hydrologists will begin the lengthy process to address flooding that is common after wildfires. Yesterday crews completed control lines along the west side of the fire coming down from the Big Bear area. Isolated smoke from a smoldering log was seen yesterday by firefighters who flew a reconnaissance mission in a helicopter, however the perimeter of the fire has not grown for over a week. It is common for trees to smolder for weeks or months after a wildfire, however firefighters still remain on the line to address any issues they may see. All the smoldering stumps have been interior to the fire perimeter and not along the edge. 

Closures and Fire Restrictions This year is unfortunately predicted to be an “above normal” fire year for all of southern New Mexico due to extreme drought conditions. The Lincoln National Forest and Mescalero Apache Tribal Lands have been in fire restrictions for many weeks now and will likely continue to be through the entire summer. There are no campfires allowed outside of developed campgrounds and no smoking outdoors in the Forest. Fireworks are ALWAYS prohibited on National Forests. Please help us spread the word about these critical fire restrictions. There is a new closure order for the Three Rivers Campground and trailhead and the White Mountains Wilderness remains closed; this includes all trails within the wilderness area. We recommend finding another place to camp, picnic and hike outside of the Bonito Corridor by visiting www.fs.usda.gov/recmain/lincoln/recreation.

More Information:  InciWeb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7440/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThreeRiversFire2021

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