All fire restrictions lifted on Cibola National Forest

Cibola National Forest officials have terminated fire restrictions for the Sandia, Mountainair, Magdalena, and Mt. Taylor Ranger Districts, as well as the Kiowa and Rita Blanca National Grasslands. Fire danger has decreased, due to moisture and higher humidity over much of the forest. Although restrictions are lifted, visitors are reminded to be very careful with their campfires and chainsaws.

Forest supervisor Nancy Rose would like to thank the public for their patience and support during this period of fire restrictions. “The restrictions effectively minimized fire occurrence, which could have resulted in high losses. I would like to commend all our firefighters for maintaining their state of readiness and efficiency during initial attack efforts on all fires. The community has been exceptional in supporting the restrictions and closures. We would like to thank everyone for their patience,” she said.

The public is reminded that campfire safety is still of concern year-round, and urge everyone to follow fire-safety precautions when recreating in the forest. If you have a campfire, please abide by the following rules:

• Build campfires away from overhanging branches, steep slopes, rotten stumps, logs, dry grass, pine needles and leaves. Pile extra wood away from the fire.
• Clear the area down to bare soil.
• Keep your campfire safe and small, especially when it’s windy.
• Never leave your campfire unattended.
• Drown the fire with water and dirt, stir remains, add more water and dirt, and stir again.
• Do not bury your coals, as they can smolder and reignite later.
• Make sure your fire is dead out before leaving.
• The use of fireworks of any kind is strictly prohibited on all national-forest lands.

When planning a trip to your national forest, know before you go. For current fire-restriction information, please call 1-877-864-6985 or visit http://www.fs.fed.us/r3/cibola. For fire restrictions and other fire information for all recreation sites in New Mexico, log on to http://www.nmfireinfo.com.