The Cerro Pelado Fire was a

wildfire A wildfire, forest fire, or a bushfire is an unplanned and uncontrolled fire in an area of Combustibility and flammability, combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire may be more specifically identified as a ...

that burned in the southern

Jemez Mountains The Jemez Mountains (, Tewa: ''Tsąmpiye'ip'įn'', Navajo: ''Dził Łizhinii'') are a group of mountains in Rio Arriba, Sandoval, and Los Alamos counties, New Mexico, United States. Numerous Puebloan Indian tribes have lived in the Jemez Moun ...

Sandoval County Sandoval County () is a county located in the U.S. state of New Mexico. As of the 2020 census, the population was 148,834, making it the fourth-most populous county in New Mexico. The county seat is Bernalillo. Sandoval County is part of th ...

, southwest of Los Alamos, in the

state State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...

in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

as part of the 2022 New Mexico wildfire season. The cause of the fire was determined to be an escaped prescribed burn started by the US Forest Service. The wildfire started on April 22, 2022, during extreme fire weather conditions. , the Cerro Pelado Fire has burned and is 100% contained.

Events

On April 22, 2022, large portions of New Mexico experienced extreme fire conditions, including a

red flag warning A red flag warning is a forecast warning issued by the National Weather Service (NWS) in the United States to inform the public, firefighters, and land management agencies that conditions are ideal for wildfire combustion, and rapid spread. These ...

from the

National Weather Service The National Weather Service (NWS) is an Government agency, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government that is tasked with providing weather forecasts, warnings of hazardous weather, and other weathe ...

(NWS) office in

Albuquerque Albuquerque ( ; ), also known as ABQ, Burque, the Duke City, and in the past 'the Q', is the List of municipalities in New Mexico, most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico, and the county seat of Bernalillo County, New Mexico, Bernal ...

. The fire was first reported that afternoon, it was officially named the Cerro Pelado Fire after the nearby Cerro Pelado mountain. The Cerro Pelado Fire was partially burning within the burn scar of the 2011 Las Conchas Fire, and near those of the 2013 Thompson Ridge Fire and the 2017 Cajete Fire. On June 15, 2022, it was announced that the Cerro Pelado Fire was fully contained. The New Mexico Type 3 Team will now hand charge to the Jemez Ranger District June 15, 2022.

Cause

An investigation by the

United States Forest Service The United States Forest Service (USFS) is an agency within the United States Department of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture. It administers the nation's 154 United States National Forest, national forests and 20 United States Natio ...

concluded in 2023 determined that the probable cause was debris-burning activities. A prescribed burn by the USFS had taken place in the area and several debris piles left by logging activity had been ignited in January and February 2022. The piles were monitored occasionally following the initial prescribed burn and some of the piles in the ignition area retained heat as late as April 20, 2022. Fire crews would create berms around hot piles and spread the ashes to allow the heat to escape. The red flag event led to the spread of hot ash and embers from the burn piles, igniting the fire.

Impacts

Closures

The fire prompted the closure of the nearby

Bandelier National Monument Bandelier National Monument is a United States National Monument near Los Alamos in Sandoval and Los Alamos counties, New Mexico. The monument preserves the homes and territory of the Ancestral Puebloans of a later era in the Southwest. Mos ...

and the

Valles Caldera National Preserve The Valles Caldera (or Jemez Caldera) is a volcanic caldera in the Jemez Mountains of northern New Mexico. Hot springs, streams, fumaroles, natural gas seeps, and volcanic domes dot the caldera landscape. The highest point in the caldera is Red ...

, as well as New Mexico State Road 4 from mile marker 27 to mile marker 59.

Weather/Health

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

Progression and containment status

¹April 23 true acreage is unknown due to inaccurate mapping.

References

External links

Cerro Pelado Fire information at InciWeb

New Mexico Fire Information
{{2022 wildfires 2022 in New Mexico 2022 New Mexico wildfires Wildfires in New Mexico Santa Fe National Forest Jemez Mountains April 2022 in the United States