Calf Canyon/Hermits Peak Fire

The Calf Canyon/Hermits Peak Fire is a large, active wildfire burning in the southern Sangre de Cristo Mountains in San Miguel County and Mora County, east of Santa Fe, in the state of New Mexico in the United States as part of the 2022 New Mexico wildfire season. The fire was formed from the merging of two individual wildfires—the Hermits Peak Fire and the Calf Canyon Fire—which ignited separately, and burned into each other during extreme fire weather conditions on April 22, 2022. Afterwards, the two fires have been managed as a single incident or fire complex.

Calf Canyon/Hermits Peak Fire
The fire on April 28, 2022
LocationNew Mexico
Coordinates35.759°N 105.503°W / 35.759; -105.503
Statistics
Date(s)April 6, 2022 (2022-04-06) - present
Burned area160,104 acres (64,792 ha)
CauseEscaped prescribed burn (Hermits Peak Fire) & unknown (Calf Canyon Fire)
Buildings destroyed277
Deaths0
Non-fatal injuries0
Map
Location in New Mexico

As of 4 May 2022, the Calf Canyon/Hermits Peak Fire has burned 160,104 acres (64,792 ha) and is 20% contained.[1] The fire has destroyed at least 277 structures, including 166 residential buildings.[2] The Calf Canyon/Hermits Peak Fire is the Second largest wildfire in recorded history in New Mexico surpassing the 2011 Las Conchas Fire, after the 2012 Whitewater-Baldy Fire Complex.

Events

On April 6, 2022, personnel with the Santa Fe National Forest conducted a controlled burn project in the Pecos/Las Vegas Ranger District of the Forest. Controlled or prescribed burns are commonly conducted in New Mexico and elsewhere to help thin out built-up wildfire fuels and balance ecosystems that depend on the occasional introduction of fire. However, erratic winds in the afternoon of April 6 caused spot fires to ignite outside the project boundary, and the prescribed burn was declared a wildfire.[3] A U.S. Forest Service official apologized on behalf of the agency for causing the wildfire.[4] It was officially named the Hermits Peak Fire, after the nearby mountain of the Sangre de Cristo range called Hermit Peak. Crews worked to contain the incident, and by April 19, the Hermits Peak Fire had burned 7,573 acres and was 91% contained.[5]

Fire Crews fighting flames from the Calf Canyon/Hermits Peak Fire

On April 19, a new fire ignited several miles to the west of the Hermits Peak Fire, also within the Santa Fe National Forest. It was officially named the Calf Canyon Fire, after the nearby Calf Canyon Road. The cause of the fire is currently unknown. The fire grew to 123 acres by April 21st, and that evening made a run to the north, growing significantly.[6]

On the morning of Friday, April 22, the Hermits Peak Fire was 7,573 acres and 91% contained.[7] The Calf Canyon Fire was approximately 3,000 acres and 0% contained. That same day, the region entered sustained critical fire weather conditions. A red flag warning was issued by the National Weather Service (NWS) extending from 9:00 AM to midnight local time, including winds from 60-74 miles per hour and temperatures in the upper 70s. The two fires grew rapidly to the northeast, exhibiting extreme fire behavior such as crowning and long-range spotting. Many structures were lost. The two fires merged as the winds fanned them, combining into a single fire footprint of approximately 42,341 acres by April 23.[8] The two fires have been managed together since then, with a single acreage and containment number reported for the incident.

Severe fire weather conditions continued over the following week, and the now-combined Calf Canyon/Hermits Peak Fire grew thousands of acres each day, becoming the second largest wildfire in recorded New Mexico state history. As of 4 May 2022, the blaze is over 160,000 acres and 20% contained.

Impacts

No injuries or fatalities have yet been reported as a result of the Calf Canyon/Hermits Peak Fire. However, hundreds of structures have been damaged or destroyed, and damage assessments are ongoing. Approximately 6,000 New Mexico residents have been forced to evacuate, including portions of the community of Las Vegas (not to be confused with the Las Vegas of the same name in Nevada).[9]

Smoke from the Calf Canyon/Hermits Peak Fire, in addition to the Cerro Pelado Fire and Cooks Peak Fire also burning in northern New Mexico, has contributed to poor air quality throughout the region.[9]

Progression and containment status

Acreage and containment figures here are for the Hermits Peak Fire only, until April 23, when statistics for the two fires began being reported together.

Fire containment status
Gray: contained; Red: active; %: percent contained;
Date Area burned
acres (km2)
Containment
April 6100 (0)[10]
0%
April 7150 (1)
0%
April 8350 (1)
0%
April 9350 (1)
0%
April 10540 (2)
10%
April 11728 (3)
10%
April 121,908 (8)
10%
April 136,276 (25)
10%
April 147,077 (29)
10%
April 157,081 (29)
33%
April 167,371 (30)
46%
April 177,514 (30)
46%
April 187,545 (31)
61%
April 197,581 (31)
81%
Calf Canyon Fire starts (unknown acreage)
April 207,573 (31)
81%
April 217,573 (31)
91%
April 227,573 (31)
91%
Calf Canyon and Hermits Peak fires combine
April 2342,341 (171)
0%
April 2454,004 (219)
12%
April 2556,478 (229)[11]
12%
April 2660,173 (244)
12%
April 2761,470 (249)
20%
April 2863,720 (258)
33%
April 2965,824 (266)
37%
April 3075,280 (305)
32%
May 1103,908 (421)
30%
May 2120,653 (488)
20%
May 3145,854 (590)
20%
May 4 160,104 (647)
20%

See also

References

  1. "Calf Canyon Information - InciWeb the Incident Information System". inciweb.nwcg.gov. Retrieved 2022-05-01.
  2. "166 homes gone, high winds feared - Albuquerque Journal". www.abqjournal.com. Retrieved 2022-05-01.
  3. "How 'good fires' can turn into wildfires - Albuquerque Journal". www.abqjournal.com. Retrieved 2022-05-01.
  4. "U.S. Forest Service apologizes for Hermits Peak Fire". KRQE NEWS 13 - Breaking News, Albuquerque News, New Mexico News, Weather, and Videos. 2022-04-12. Retrieved 2022-05-01.
  5. "Continued progress on Hermits Peak Fire - InciWeb the Incident Information System". inciweb.nwcg.gov. Retrieved 2022-05-01.
  6. "Extreme weather and dangerous conditions on Calf Canyon Fire - InciWeb the Incident Information System". inciweb.nwcg.gov. Retrieved 2022-05-01.
  7. "Hermits Peak Fire Update April 22, 2022 - InciWeb the Incident Information System". inciweb.nwcg.gov. Retrieved 2022-05-01.
  8. "Calf Canyon and Hermits Peak Update, April 23 - InciWeb the Incident Information System". inciweb.nwcg.gov. Retrieved 2022-05-01.
  9. Goldberg, Julia (2022-05-01). "Wildfire's Rapid Spread Worries New Mexico Officials". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-05-01.
  10. "Las Dispensas Prescribed Burn Declared Wildfire - InciWeb the Incident Information System". inciweb.nwcg.gov. Retrieved 2022-05-01.
  11. SFNFPIO (2022-04-25). "Calf Canyon and Hermits Peak Fires – April 25, 2022". NM Fire Info. Retrieved 2022-05-01.
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