| Sandia Ranger District to Enforce Prescribed Fire in Tablazon New Mexico Fire Information

We start on October 29th

ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico – October 22, 2024 – Subject to favorable conditions, firefighters in the Cibola National Forest and National Grasslands (NF and NG) may implement the previously announced Tablazon (RX) prescribed fire in the Sandia Ranger District as early as Tuesday, October 29, 2024.

Firefighters plan to burn about 207 acres in a divided area in the Tablazon Canyon area of ​​the Manzanita Mountains. Tablazon is located south of Highway 333, south of the Lower Pine Trailhead and east of FSRD 462. Map included. Visitors may be impacted by the Sedro, Bear Ray, Lower Pine, Tablazon and Coyote trail systems. Smoke may be visible in areas of Tijeras, Edgewood, Moriarty and Albuquerque.

The fire will be subject to the approval of the agency administrator and conditions within the ranges specified in the prescribed fire plan. The desired conditions will result in effective ventilation and smoke dispersion and will help achieve the effects needed to achieve the burn plan objectives.

Cibola NF & NGs handles all prescribed fires in accordance with New Mexico Air Quality and Smoke Control regulations. However, smoke may settle in drainages and on higher ground at night, but is expected to clear as daytime temperatures rise. Information about air quality and protecting your health can be found at www.airnow.gov/.

Our land management strategy focuses on long-term forest health, including reducing the use of forest fuels and using prescribed fire on the landscape. Prescribed fires are intended to reduce the amount of hazardous fuels that have accumulated from drought, climate change, insects and disease, and decades of fire suppression. In addition, firefighters use prescribed fire to improve forest health, remove hazardous fuels, improve firefighter safety, improve wildlife habitat, and protect communities and watersheds. Prescribed fires are designed to achieve specific goals, and firefighters and public safety are always the priority when fighting them.

Implementation announcements and updates on prescribed fire projects will be posted on InciWeb, New Mexico Fire Information, as well as the Cibola NF & NGs, Cibola Facebook and Cibola Twitter sites.

For more information about the prescribed fire in Tablazon, contact the Sandia Ranger District Office at 505-281-3304. or Cibola National Forest and Rangeland Supervisor’s Office: 505-346-3900.