EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — Highway 15 officially opened on Wednesday morning, July 2, as fire crews continue working on the Trout Fire, the Gila Las Cruces Type 3 Incident Management Team said in an update.
The incident management team said as of 6 a.m. Wednesday, Highway 15 opened through-traffic, and firefighters will continue working along the highway corridor and in nearby areas. Motorists are asked to drive with caution.
The Trout Fire has reached 47,294 acres with 83 percent containment and 311 personnel working on the fire. The cause of the fire was ruled to be lightning.
The incident management team said hand crews are working around a five-acre area of heat, south of Signal Peak, and will extinguish remaining heat.
Across the fire area, crews focused on hazard mitigation, line rehabilitation, and fuels reduction actions on Tuesday, July 1.
Restoration assessments and additional repair work are ongoing in Lake Roberts to Camp Thunderbird, the incident management team said.
“Crews concentrated their efforts on repairing lines in Soldier Canyon and debris lop-and-scatter operations. National Guard personnel also relocated sandbags from Lake Roberts to Camp Thunderbird. Firefighters and incident personnel continue balancing suppression repair with containment efforts. Public cooperation is appreciated, and awareness is vital to everyone’s safety as we approach the holiday weekend, especially in areas where crews and equipment remain active,” the incident management team said.
Scattered showers are expected across the fire area, which means there is an elevated risk of flash flooding through Thursday, the incident management team said.
Local air quality ratings are good, fire officials said. For real-time smoke conditions, you can click here.
You can learn more about road closures in the area by clicking here.
You can learn more about closures and alerts in the Gila National Forest by clicking here.
You can learn more about Stage 2 fire restrictions by clicking here.
You can learn about temporary flight restrictions here.
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