The Silver Fire grew almost 12,000 acres Friday from north of Noonday Canyon to Animas Canyon due to dry, windy conditions, steep slopes and low fuel moisture. The fire is more than 56,000 acres and additional growth is anticipated this weekend as similar conditions will remain present over the area. A red flag warning is in effect fromnoon to 9 p.m. tonight. Crews will continue their efforts north of NM State Highway 152 in the construction of indirect fire lines, taking advantage of areas to work directly on the fire’s edge.
Motorists are reminded that the 25-mile route on NM State Highway 61 from its junction with NM 152 to U.S. Highway 180 is open. Motorists traveling along NM 61 pass through the communities of San Juan, Sherman, and the City of Rocks State Park. Forest and road closure information can be found at: http://fs.usda.gov/gila or www.nmroads.com.
Silver Fire updates can be found on Inciweb at http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/3414. For additional fire information, visit the following websites:
www.facebook.com/SilverFireNM,www.flickr.com/gilaforest, www.twitter.com/SilverFireNM.