Santa Fe National Forest
U.S. Forest Service
New Mexico
Santa Fe, NM 87508
The Rincon Fire was started by lightning June 11, 2021. It is burning within the Pecos Wilderness area in steep, rocky terrain at 11,000-feet elevation. Insect infestation, primarily the spruce beetle, has killed a lot of trees in the area, which is likely to provide ample fuel and generate significant smoke. The challenging topography and heavy fuel load are major factors in determining suppression tactics for the Rincon Fire.
Southwest Area Incident Management Team 4, lead by Incident Commander Carl Schwope assumed command of the Rincon Fire at 6:00am June 15, 2021.
Smoke from the Rincon Fire is visible within a 100-mile radius of the fire. An interactive smoke map at https://fire.airnow.gov/ allows you to zoom into the Santa Fe area to see the latest smoke information. Smoke-sensitive individuals and people with respiratory problems or heart disease are encouraged to take precautionary Measures. Information on air quality and protecting your health can be found online at the New Mexico Department of Health (NMDOH) Environmental Public Health Tracking (EPHT) website at https://nmtracking.org/fire.
Fire updates will be posted on the SFNF website, New Mexico Fire Information website, Inciweb and on the SFNF Facebook and Twitter.
Current as of | |
Incident Type | Wildfire |
Date of Origin | Friday June 11th, 2021 approx. 12:00 PM |
Location | Pecos Wilderness |
Incident Commander | Andrew Valdez |
Coordinates | 35.909 latitude, -105.533 longitude |
Total Personnel | 65 |
Size | 533 Acres |
Fuels Involved | Spruce/fir, heavy underbrush, heavy dead and down. |
Significant Events | Minimal creeping and smoldering. |
Planned Actions | Monitor fire and gather intel for secondary lines to protect potential values at risk. |
Projected Incident Activity | No anticipated fire movement. |
Weather Concerns | Multiple rounds of showers and thunderstorms developed around the Rincon Fire on Saturday, although minimal rainfall fell over the fire. Extensive cloud cover helped keep temperatures in the low 70s to mid-8Os and helped keep humidity from dropping into the teens. Light east to southeast winds through the morning became variable las outflow moved across the area. Wind speeds in the afternoon ranged from 8 to 15 mph with gusts 20 to 25 mph at times. |