The Silver Fire reached 83,920 acres as of this morning, and remains 20% contained. Currently, 691 personnel are fighting the lightning-caused fire. Crews today are expected to concentrate on the west flank of the fire, conducting burnout operations south of McKnight Road as conditions allow.
Fire-fight yesterday saw great effort from helicopters along the west perimeter where the fire was most active. The helicopters made 35 water drops, totaling 30,000 gallons of water. Minimal activity has been detected on the eastern portion of the fire, due to the fire descending into lower elevation and lighter fuels. Crews continue to monitor the east flank for hot spots. The Silver Fire is expected to continue to grow toward Crest Trail in the north.
No evacuation orders are currently in effect. Highway 152 from Kingston to San Lorenzo remains closed. The Gila National Forest remains open for recreation with Stage One fire restrictions in effect. Only areas of the forest affected by the Silver Fire have been closed.
For additional information about road closures, visit www.nmroads.com.
To learn more about areas of the Gila National Forest that have been closed, visit http://www.fs.usda.gov/gila.
Photo from http://www.flickr.com/photos/gilaforest
