Rain has done little to slow the McCauley Springs Fire, which held at 708 acres with zero containment as of Friday, as crews faced weather-related challenges on the ground.
While moisture can aid firefighting, officials said dry, windy conditions expected Saturday will quickly erase any benefit. Lightning also remains a threat, with the potential to spark new blazes.
Tiffany Davila from the Southwest Complex Incident Management Team 3 also explained thunderstorms can bring outflow winds. “Outflow winds can be very dangerous. They could shift the fire direction, expand or increase the fire activity and behavior. So they’re really monitoring the weather closely,” Davila said.
Despite all these, the fire is burning in a rugged terrain, so as firefighters try to directly target the fire, it’s tough to navigate.
Highway 4 remains closed near mile markers 27 and 40. Meanwhile, evacuations remain in place with “Go” status for Sierra de los Pinos and Jemez Falls Campground. Officials said an evacuation center for residents is open at Jemez Mountain Baptist Church in La Cueva, while Los Alamos County remains under “Ready” status.
Meanwhile, the Santa Fe National Forest also closed off the McCauley Springs Fire area in the forest. Although crews want to emphasize that the rest of the forest is open.
Smoke remains visible from Albuquerque, U.S. 550, Jemez Springs, and nearby communities, and it may affect parts of Highway 4.