The Home Of Smokey Bear Closes Wildfires Ravage the Area

Dry New Mexico sees 27 wildfires in 4 days

No significant rain expected until July — and 'we're starting to add lightning to the mix'

The first three months of the year marked the second-driest start to any year on record in New Mexico. And more than 400 in that time have scorched more than 490 square miles. A handful of the fires so far this year were started by lightning, but most have been human-caused.

Officials plan to close Lincoln National Forest in southeastern New Mexico on Thursday. At least two other national forests have imposed various stages of fire restrictions, and the New Mexico State Forestry Division has enacted restrictions across all but parts of four northern counties.

The LNF closure order, to be signed by Forest Supervisor Robert Trujillo will go into effect, 8:00 a.m., May 12, 2011. For more information about the Fire Closure Order or the Lincoln National Forest, please contact the Supervisor's Office at (575) 434-7200, or one of the following District Offices: Smokey Bear Ranger District - (575) 257-4095, Sacramento Ranger District - (575) 682-2551, and Carlsbad Ranger District - (575) 885-4181.

Adult Smokey Bear 1976Baby Smokey Bear 1950

Reminiscent of the conditions almost 61 years to the day when wildfires (then we called them Forest Fires) ravaged the SW including parts of New Mexico and on the very Forest  that was the original home of Smokey Bear, fires once again are impacting the area.

Some of these fires are caused by lightning but many, way to many, are human caused just like the Capitan Gap Fire in 1950. Smokey Bear and his friends have spent many many years and thousands and thousands of hours educating folks about the dangers of wildfires and what we can do to prevent them. So why you might say are we still having so many wildfires. Mostly because of carelessness and people just not realizing just how much the drought has created such dangerous conditions.

So we all can GET YOUR SMOKEY ON ( www.smokeybear.com) and not only do OUR part and not let a wildfire start but spread the word, Smokey’s Words, ONLY YOU CAN PREVENT WILDFIRES.

Here is a bit of Smokey's Story to get you started ......

It is believed that on May 4, 1950, a carelessly discarded cigarette butt started the Los Tablos blaze in the Lincoln National Forest . On May 6, a second fire, known as the Capitan Gap fire, which was also man-caused, started in the same general area. Together these fires destroyed 17,000 acres of forest and grasslands. The monetary loss to private properties was great, but the loss to the wildlife and environment was even greater.

On May 8, a 70 mile per hour wind made it impossible to control the blaze. It was on this day that nineteen men were trapped in a rockslide while the holocaust raged around and passed them. They were rescued without any fatalities, but later expressed the opinion that they knew "just how a slice of toast feels."

These are not the only wildfires burningSmokey needs your help all accross the Nation especially where it is dry, real dry.

Wildfire grows 10,000 acres a day!!!!

Honey Prairie Fire has burned 90,990 acres and crossed into Florida

About 50 residents near Baxter community warned of possible evacuations.

Read more at Jacksonville.com: http://jacksonville.com/news/florida/2011-05-10/story/honey-prairie-fire-has-burned-90990-acres-and-crossed-florida#ixzz1M1sTy8VM

For more information on the refuge and the fire, call (912) 496-7836 or go to fws.gov/okefenokee.