Smoke from a fire burning in the Coyote Ranger District of the Santa Fe National Forest is visible from Coyote to the Abiquiú Dam.
Lightning started the fire Aug. 8 on Mesa Alta, District Ranger Francisco Sanchez said. It has grown to approximately 800 acres at a rate of 15 to 25 acres per day.
He said it is not currently threatening any roads or structures, and between five and seven firefighters from the District are monitoring it.
Sanchez said they haven’t taken any action to extinguish the fire. A release from the Forest said it is being managed as a “wildland fire use fire,” which are seen as beneficial to the forest. It states no roads or trail closures are in effect, but campers are being asked to avoid the area for the next few weeks. Sanchez said there is no reason for the public to worry, but the fire is expected to grow.
“There’s really no threat to anybody that’s up in that area,” he said.
Sanchez said roads and natural barriers like rock outcrops are expected to contain the fire.
“It’ll pretty much die when it gets into some of those areas,” he said.