NM governor approves $500K for statewide wildfires, including McCauley Springs Fire in Jemez

New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham on Tuesday issued an emergency order granting $500,000 to a state agency to help address a rash of wildfires across the state, including the McCauley Springs Fire near Jemez Springs. 

According to the governor’s office, at least 16 wildfires are currently burning across the state. That includes the 700-acre McCauley Springs Fire in Sandoval County, which prompted evacuations and a partial forest closure, and the Beehive Fire near Tres Piedras, which had  grown to more than 4,000 acres Tuesday after first being discovered Friday.

Moreover, “conditions for more are expected to increase,” Maj. Gen. Miguel Aguilar, interim cabinet secretary for the New Mexico Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, said in a statement. “We are doing everything we can to support the responders and the residents who are facing these disasters.”

The flurry of large wildfire ignitions marks the end of a relative “reprieve” the Southwest region enjoyed throughout the beginning of wildfire season, Matt Hurteau, a professor at the University of New Mexico and director of the Center for Fire Resilient Ecosystems and Society, told Source NM.

While the state experienced an above-average number of ignitions in the first six months of the year, at least on state and private land, bursts of moisture have enabled crews to quickly contain them and minimize destruction, Hurteau said. But fires erupted across the region in recent days, sending crews scrambling to restrain them, he said. 

“All of a sudden things have started picking up, and we just haven’t had any moisture in a while,” Hurteau said. “We’re starting to hit the dry-lightning part in the prelude to monsoons kicking off. Until we start getting some rains, everything’s really dry. And then just add ignitions.”

New Mexico has unusually active start to wildfire season 

Over the weekend, state crews worked with local emergency managers and state agencies to help with the McCauley Springs Fire, according to the governor’s office, including clearing a roadway following a mudslide and installing sandbags. The governor’s order notes that the wildfire has placed “significant strain” on local resources. The blaze was 43% contained as of Tuesday morning. 

The Beehive Fire burning 15 miles west of Tres Piedras had 0% containment as of Tuesday morning after igniting Friday, and its cause remained undetermined, according to Forest Service officials. 

High winds Monday spurred the wildfire and contributed to its growth of more than 1,000 acres since Monday morning. While the fire does not threaten any structures, officials are urging hikers on the Continental Divide Trail to bypass the area and warning drivers that smoke could reduce visibility along nearby state Highways 64 and 285.

National Weather Service forecasters on Tuesday issued a Red Flag warning in northwest New Mexico, noting the high wildfire risk in that area, and said the rest of northern New Mexico could see scattered thunderstorms, which bring the potential for rains to limit wildfire spread but also the risk of lightning and unpredictable wind. 

Hurteau told Source NM that New Mexico has an acute need for steady monsoon rains, both to address the ongoing rash of wildfires but also amid ongoing drought and following record-low snowpacks across the west. 

“If it started raining consistently, starting tomorrow, that would be a wonderful thing for us in the Southwest,” he said.