McBride Fire – Wednesday, April 20, 2022 Daily Update

Acres: 6,159
Cause: Under investigation
Containment: 89%
Start Date: April 12, 2022
Location: Gavilan Canyon within the Village of Ruidoso
Fuels: Timber, brush, grasses
Structures burned: 207 primary structures, multiple outbuildings
Personnel: 341
Fatalities: 2 citizens

Highlights: This will be the FINAL written update for the McBride Fire. The Southwest Area Incident Management Team 2 (SWAIMT2) will transition the fire to a Type 4 Command structure tomorrow, April 21st at 7:00 am. Once the fire transitions, updates will be made to the Facebook page and InciWeb as notable events occur. The current phone numbers and email address will no longer be monitored. As of Thursday morning, members of the public should call 575-258-6900 and media outlets call 505-445-8278.

Operations: Minimal fire activity was observed across the fire as crews continued to patrol and monitor the fire. An excavator will be utilized alongside ground crews to support suppression repair work in the Eagle Creek area. As the fire continues to release resources, a group remains available for initial attack for any new starts in the surrounding area.

After the Fire: A Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) team has been ordered to make assessments for the McBride and Nogal Canyon Fires. BAER teams conduct rapid assessments that evaluate post-fire conditions and determine the potential for increased flooding, sediment flows, and rockslides. The team consist of many disciplines including hydrologists, geologists, soil scientists, road engineers, botanists, biologists, and archeologists from both federal and state agencies. BAER teams ultimately produce an assessment that describes post-fire conditions along with recommended emergency stabilization measures and actions. Efforts are focused on the protection of human life and safety, property, and critical cultural and natural resource values. The BAER assessment team will begin work on Friday, April 22nd and anticipates that it will take approximately two weeks to complete their burned area assessment.

Evacuations: All evacuations were lifted at 10:00 am on Sunday, April 17th.

Safety: While the fire continues to release resources and transition to a smaller incident management team, work remains around the fire area and within residential areas. Avoid the fire area if you do not live within the communities to reduce disruptions for fire operations and suppression repair work.

Weather: Temperatures in the mid-70s and slightly stronger southwest winds are expected at 20 mph with gusts 35-40 mph. For this combination of critical conditions, a Red Flag Warning is in place from 12:00 pm to 8:00 pm.

A Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) is in place: Wildfires are a NO Drone Zone. Flying recreational and media drones within a TFR is illegal and impedes fire suppression efforts. Report drones to local law enforcement. If You Fly, We Can’t!

Fire Information: Public 505-356-2636 Media 505-681-2837

InciWeb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/8061/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/McBrideFire2022/

NM Fire Information: https://nmfireinfo.com/

Email: 2022.mcbride@firenet.gov