NPS Cause: Lightning Size: Approximately 40 acres Location: Bandelier Wilderness, mesa top between Alamo and Lummis Canyons Containment: 0% Fuel: Pinyon Juniper, grass On Sunday afternoon, a lightning-caused fire was reported in the Bandelier Wilderness. The fire has been low, slowly creeping in the grass and occasionally torching individual juniper trees. Rain was received at the fire site Sunday evening and again early Tuesday morning. Weather forecasts predict that afternoon thunderstorms will continue in the area throughout the week Due to the remoteness of the area and the rugged terrain, park managers will be using a modified approach for fire suppression. Resources such as archeological sites and Threatened and Endangered species habitat will be protected from high intensity fire. In other areas fire will be allowed to burn out to natural boundaries such as rock cliffs, or areas with little or no vegetation. An area closure surrounding the Alamo Fire is effect for Bandelier National Monument. The area that is closed includes the entire Burro Trail and the area between the south west rim of Frijoles Canyon to the north east rim of Alamo Canyon and from the Middle Alamo Trail south to the park boundary at the Rio Grande. Please see attached closure map for more details. Under this closure, the following are prohibited: Entering the area by any means except for personnel performing official duties related the management of the Alamo Fire Firefighters will be monitoring the fire from the air or lookout points. Smoke may be visible from State Road 4, Los Alamos, and Santa Fe 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 by using the 5-3-1 visibility method can be found online at the New Mexico Department of Health (NMDOH) Environmental Public Health Tracking (EPHT) website at https://nmtracking.org/fire. People with health concerns can also call NMDOH at 505-827-0006 for additional information. For information on the HEPA filter loan program, go to https://facnm.org/smoke#smokeanchor5. 
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Last updated: August 8, 2019