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Gila Las Cruces Type 3 Incident Management Team Incident Commander – Pete Valenzuela

Information Phone: 720 693-3527 Hours: 8 am-8pm Email: 2023.Pass@Firenet.gov

Acres: 46,397
Location: 40 miles west of Winston, NM Containment: 13%
Personnel: 99
Start Date: May 18, 2023
Cause: Lightning
Fuels: Timber, pinon/juniper and grass

The Pass Fire grew only 104 acres yesterday. The entire fire area was in patrol and monitor status. Crews are continuing to patrol the northern perimeter looking for and extinguishing hot spots. A drone flew an infrared mapping flight over the west side of the fire east of Indian Creek. Data collected showed that the line is still holding. The east side of the fire, where firefighters worked to protect several residences is in monitor status. A handcrew was flown up to the Black Mountain Lookout yesterday by helicopter. The crew removed the fire resistant wrapping used to protect the lookout in the initial days of the fire.

On Thursday crew activity will look much like it did Wednesday. The two main areas firefighters will be watching will be the west side at Indian Creek and the northeast side above Beaver Creek. A warmer and drier weather pattern is developing and fire activity is expected to increase over the next few days. A southwest wind will tend to push the fire back into itself over most of the fire area. Very little heat has been observed across the northern portion of the fire for several days.

The complexity of fighting the Pass Fire is decreasing and fire managers are preparing to transition to a smaller type 3 organization. This change will bring the resources assigned into alignment with current and projected needs to meet the objectives and continue to protect values at risk.

Weather: Southwest winds have reestablished over the fire area bringing decreased humidity and an increase in temperature. Winds will be 10-15 mph over the fire.

Aviation Restrictions: A Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) is still in place over the Pass Fire. All non-fire aircraft are restricted. This includes civilian drones. Unauthorized aircraft in the area will ground firefighting aircraft, hindering firefighting efforts.

Closures: The Gila National Forest remains open. Visitors are encouraged to use extreme caution when driving near the fire area due to the presence of firefighters and equipment.

For More Information:
• Inciweb: https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-information/nmgnf-pass-fire Inciweb is the official site for fire
information. This site is secure and updated daily.
• New Mexico Fire Information: https://nmfireinfo.com/
• Air Quality: https://www.airnow.gov