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Lightning Caused Buford Wildfire Being Managed on the Landscape
 

Mountainair Ranger District, Cibola National Forest & National Grasslands – New Mexico

Detection Date / Time: September 19, 2023 / 3 pm 

Cause: Lightning
 

Location: Approximately 12 miles west of the village of Corona and 1 mile north of Gallinas Lookout. The fire is
burning within the 2004 Lookout Fire burn scar in the Gallinas Unit of the Mountainair Ranger District.
 

Strategy: Confine and contain.
 

Fire Behavior: Low to moderate with mostly backing and flanking and occasional isolated torching.
 

Fire managers are managing the Buford Fire using a confine and contain strategy within a pre-determined perimeter
as long as conditions allow crews to safely do so. We use predictive services tools and fire behavior models to
guide our fire management decisions. The benefit of this strategy will be to reduce hazardous fuels, encourage the
growth of native plants, increase species diversity in the understory, restore ecological balance and reduce the
potential for future high-severity wildfires.
 

Crews will continue preparations along Forest Road 102 as well as utilize old bulldozer lines that were established
during the 2004 Lookout Fire as part of the containment line, keeping the fire within the identified planning area.
Additional use of hand and aerial ignition operations may occur to reduce the potential for rapid fire spread toward
containment features.
 

Wildlife biologists, range specialist and archaeologists are helping to ensure that natural and cultural resources are
protected.
 

Resources On Scene: Type 4 Incident Commander, 4 Engines, 3 Bulldozers, 3 Water Tenders, 1 Type 2 Initial
Attack Crew, 1 Ambulance and various miscellaneous overhead.
 

Resources Ordered: A Type 3 Incident Management Organization has been ordered and will be in place by
Saturday afternoon. They will assume command of the Buford Fire on Sunday morning. A Type 3 helicopter will
arrive on Saturday to assist with bucket work and/or ignitions if necessary.
 

Fuels: Heavy to moderate dead and down, Slash, Ponderosa Pine, grass and shrubs.
 

Values at risk: Communication sites on Gallinas Peak and private land are in the vicinity but the fire is not
currently threatening any private property or communication sites. There are no evacuations in effect.
Smoke will be visible from US Highways 60, 42 and 54.
 

9/22/23 Weather for Central NM: Tonight: Partly cloudy with a 0% chance of showers and a low temperature of 54
degrees. West to northwest winds are predicted at about 11mph. Tomorrow: Sunny with a high temperature of 79
degrees with winds from 15-18mph predicted. weather.gov
 

Safety: The health and safety of firefighters and the public are always the first priority. Members of the public
should stay away from fire operations.
Drones pose a serious risk to firefighting and can cause air operations to cease. The public is reminded that “If you
fly, we can’t!”
 

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 can be found online at the New
Mexico Department of Health (NMDOH) Environmental Public Health Tracking (EPHT) website nmtracking.org.
An interactive smoke map is available at airnow.gov, which allows you to zoom into areas to see the latest smoke
conditions.
 

All fire updates will be posted on the Cibola NF & NGs website, New Mexico Fire Information website, and the
Cibola NF & NGs Facebook & Twitter pages.