July 16, 2022
Santa FE, NM – July 16, 2022 – A fire sparked by lightning on the eastern slope of Atalaya Mountain was one of five natural fires in the Santa Fe National Forest (SFNF) yesterday, an indication that the 2022 fire season is not yet over. Monsoon weather patterns that bring much-needed moisture also bring lightning, which can easily ignite drought-stressed trees and other vegetation.
Smoke was reported from the Atalaya Fire burning in pine and ponderosa grass around 11 a.m. yesterday. Two engines and Santa Fe Hotshots were dispatched to the Atalaya Fire yesterday after a Type 3 helicopter dropped water. Firefighters completed containment around the perimeter of the 5.5 hectare fire last night, and Hotshots remain on site today.
The Atalaya Fire illustrates the potential fire hazard at the wildland-urban interface (WUI) where Santa Fe homes and properties adjoin the national forest. The Greater Santa Fe Fireshed Coalition, a collaboration started in 2016 by federal agencies, state, tribal and local governments, and non-governmental and community-based organizations, addresses wildfire preparation, response and recovery in and around the city of Santa Fe. The Fireshed Coalition promotes landscape-scale forest restoration and fire-adapted communities to reduce the risk of high-severity wildfires in the southern Sangre de Cristo Mountains.
Crews contained four additional fires throughout the forest.
For more information about the Atalaya Fire, contact the Española Ranger District at 505-753-7331. Stay up to date on SFNF news by checking the SFNF website and following us on Facebook and I tweet.
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