EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — The incident command team in charge of the Goose Fire, burning outside of Silver City, New Mexico, is reporting continued progress in fighting and containing the fire.
The fire, burning 18 miles northwest of Silver City, remains at 3,401 acres and is at 30 percent containment, fire officials said on Saturday, July 26.
Enough progress is being made that there will be a switch in incident command team back to the Gila National Forest managing the fire, fire officials said.
The fire started on July 9 and was caused by lightning, fire officials said.
About 115 firefighters remain on scene, containing this fire, which is exhibiting “minimal, smoldering, creeping” fire behavior, fire officials said.
Friday, crews made good progress on the Goose Fire, as they addressed the remaining areas of suppression repair along Goose Lake Trail No. 238, Sheep Corral Trail No. 231, and the 282 and 4083V Forest Service roads.
Firefighters also continued securing the fire perimeter and extinguishing any hot spots. A helicopter aided suppression efforts with water bucket drops throughout the day.
Firing operations were conducted overnight to secure additional containment areas, fire officials said.
Saturday, rehab work will continue in the same areas as Friday with crews and heavy equipment, and a helicopter will be available for bucket drops if needed, fire officials said.
The Albuquerque Zone Type 3 Team will turn over the management of the fire to the Gila National Forest at 7 a.m. Monday.
New Mexico Highway 15 will be closed to all traffic for up to eight-hour increments because of withdrawal of heavy equipment. Road closures and interruptions will continue through 10 p.m. Saturday.
At this time, minimal heat remains and the fire will be monitored by lookouts and air resources for any signs of activity. Some firefighters have already been demobilized and begun to travel home. The remaining crews and medical support personnel will be released from the incident on Monday.
A plan of action has been formed to meet the remaining containment needs by local resources, fire officials said. Smoke may be present for several weeks if hidden hotspots emerge under heat or wind.
Incident Commander Lino Baca said: “There has been excellent coordination between incident personnel on the ground and Forest Service leadership. We are adapting and scaling our organization to fit current response needs.”
Dry, sunny weather is expected Saturday with the potential for wind gusts up to 18 mph, temperatures in the upper 80s, and relative humidity dropping to 15% by afternoon. Warm weather is again forecasted for Sunday with relative humidity values around 18% and the potential for isolated storms.
While good progress is reported in fighting the fire, the public is still urged to avoid the area around the Goose Fire.
A temporary flight restriction remains in effect in the fire area. Click here for information on the flight restriction.
For information on closures related to the Goose Fire, click here.
Visitors to the Gila Wilderness should be aware that the fire is burning near Goose Lake Trail No. 238, Monument Ridge Trail No. 254, and Packsaddle Trail No. 732.
Smoke may be more visible due to increased fire activity. For information on smoke conditions, click here.
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