Infrared flights over the 341,735-acre Hermits Peak/Calf Canyon Fire “had a difficult time picking up any heat,” an operations section chief on the blaze said in a Friday evening briefing.
“If the fire should in the future decide to wake up, it’s not going to roar out of here,” Marcus Cornwell added, speaking of an area on the fire’s western edge in the Pecos Wilderness, where flames made a series of big runs last week before the monsoon settled in and dampened fuels.
Cornwell and other fire management officials assigned to the blaze, now 78 percent contained, provided positive news for communities affected by the state’s largest wildfire and the threat of a devastating aftermath — but warned their luck might not hold out much longer.
There has been significant debris flow in burned-out flood plains, despite recent downpours.
Meteorologist Chris Foltz said 1 to 2 inches of rain could fall on the burn area between Saturday and Monday, and a flood watch in effect from 2 p.m. Saturday to 6 p.m. Sunday could become a higher-level warning — and time to take action — at any moment.
“It’s not time to let your guard down,” he said in Friday’s briefing.
He advised residents to watch for alerts on their radios, TVs and phones; to develop an evacuation plan; and to communicate the plan to family and friends.
If an evacuation order comes, Foltz said, “You don’t want to wait.”
He warned in particular about heavy rains in the forecast overnight Saturday. “Be ready to move at a moment’s notice,” he said.
San Miguel County Sheriff Chris Lopez had a similar message for residents. “I kind of sense a little bit of complacency,” he said.
The possibility of severe flooding will last another couple of months and then linger for years ahead, the sheriff said.
“Remember, this is just the beginning of the monsoon.”
