EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — The Trout Fire grew over 40,000 acres on Thursday morning, June 19, which is burning about 12 miles north of Silver City in the Gila National Forest, the Southwest Area Incident Management team said in an update on Thursday.
The fire grew to 43,547 acres with 0 percent containment, and the cause of the fire is still under investigation. Over 1,000 personnel are working on the fire, the incident management team said.
The incident management team says firefighters worked overnight to secure the line and address any hot spots along the northern and eastern sides of the fire.
“Near the southeastern corner of the fire, ground crews worked with unmanned aircraft systems, UAS or drones, which utilize infrared systems to identify hot spots. On the south side of the fire, firefighters worked with the Chino mine to build fire lines and identify opportunities to complete the line from east to west. Along the west side of the fire, crews continued to secure that line,” the incident management team said.
Firefighters will continue to identify and construct fire lines along the southern side of the fire using heavy equipment and hand tools on Thursday.
“A structure protection group will increase efforts that focus on the south side of the fire. Resources along the west, north, and east sides of the fire will continue to mop up and secure the line. Crews will also continue their work with the UAS pilots near the southeastern corner. Aircraft, including helicopters and large air tankers, will support crews. Air operations will also continue to focus their work along the southern side of the fire, utilizing a full suite of aviation resources,” the incident management team said.
Information on smoke conditions can be found here.
These are the evacuation levels as of 8 p.m. on Wednesday:
GO (Level 3) – Zones 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9,10, 11, 12, 26
SET (Level 2) – Zone 27
READY (Level 1) – Zones 14A, 14B, 16, 28, 29
Additional evacuation areas will be identified as conditions change. To view the interactive evacuation map, click here.
The Red Cross has established an evacuation shelter at the Grant County Convention Center at 3031 US-180, Silver City, NM 88061. High Desert Humane Society will accommodate pets, and the rodeo grounds at the Southwest Horseman’s Association are open to receive livestock, the incident management team said.
The fire has caused several road closures on Highways 35, 152, and 356. To learn more about those closures, click here.
The Gila National Forest has issued a closure order for the area. Click here to learn more.
Stage 2 Fire Restrictions are also in place. Click here to learn about the fire restrictions.
A temporary flight restriction is in effect to allow firefighters to do their job. Click here to learn about the flight restriction.
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