The Frijoles Fire burning north of Santa Fe has grown to cover over 3000 acres in the Pecos Wilderness area and remains 0 percent contained, according to the U.S. Forest Service. The fire originated from a lightning strike on August 4 and has expanded at a rate of hundreds of acres per day.
Santa Fe County issued a mandatory evacuation order on Monday evening, placing residents on Camino de Cañon Street in Cundiyó under “GO status,” meaning residents should evacuate immediately with an emergency supply kit, according to a Santa Fe County press release.
Santa Fe County Communications Coordinator Shawna Graves shared an update on the fire’s status with the Daily Lobo after the evacuation order went into effect.
“You can see heavy smoke and flames from the Cundiyó community and surrounding communities,” Graves said. “Fire crews from the U.S. Forest Service will be actively monitoring conditions.”
An August 10 fire update from the U.S. Forest Service stated that the fire exhibited “active behavior exacerbated by high temperatures, low humidity, and strong outflow winds from passing thunderstorms.”
The remainder of Cundiyó remains in “READY status”, which alerts individuals to have a “go-bag” prepared with a three-day supply of items needed to evacuate, according to the county press release.
On Monday, the New Mexico Department of Health issued a smoke advisory for multiple communities impacted by smoke, including from the Frijoles Fire, with guidance to use the 5-3-1 visibility method to help decide when to limit time outdoors.
NMDOH spokesperson David Morgan told the Daily Lobo that smoke advisories are issued based on fire size, location, smoke quantity and the population size of the area affected by the fire, and warned that anyone can be affected.
“If you're an athlete and you are in a smoky area, whether you're near a wildfire, it has the potential to affect anybody,” Morgan said. “Any kind of outdoor activity that takes a lot of exertion, pulling weeds in your yard, you know, that has potential too.”
A spokesperson from the Forest Service, who is monitoring the Frijoles Fire, told the Daily Lobo on Monday that the situation is not showing signs of improvement.
“When storms move over fires they have really dramatic downflow winds that can push the fire in all directions like a fan sitting over the fire just blowing straight down,” the spokesperson said. “It happened yesterday and today.”
Leila Chapa is the photo and social media editor for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at socialmedia@dailylobo.com or on X @lchapa06
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Leila Chapa is the photo editor for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at socialmedia@dailylobo.com or on X @lchapa06
