UPDATE 7:15 PM: Evacuation orders of DMR remain in effect tonight. The Livermore Ranch Fire acreage remains at 10,246, though that estimate will likely be updated late Monday morning, after the fire is flown. Heavy resources arrived on the fire today, in the form of 10 engines, and several SEATs dropping retardant on the fire.
On Sunday, air attack and hand crews were working the northern edge of the fire, near White Tail Mountain, on land operated by the Nature Conservancy. Aircraft with retardant was also put to the eastern flank of the fire, that's the Bridge Gap area, which is the head of Limpia Canyon. We spoke with an area resident who was assisting fire crews cutting fire breaks on the northwestern edge of the DMR. An aviation TFR, like a "do-not-fly"zone remains over fire-effected areas.
Weather conditions overnight into Monday are somewhat favorable, with low winds, lower temperatures, and higher humidity. (Also today, 2 SEATs and a few dozers were diverted to assist with the Spring Mountain Fire, which was being fought in rugged country by the Valentine VFD.)
UPDATE 12:30 PM: The Livermore Ranch Fire was flown this morning, with more precise GPS mapping. The acreage of that blaze has been re-estimated as 10,246 acres. Evacuation order of DMR remains in effect. The Spring Mountain Fire has also been flown. The new estimate for that conflagration is 9,580 acres.
Sunday, April 29: During the 11 AM hour, KRTS News spoke with Jim Fowler, spokesperson for the Fort Davis Volunteer Fire Department. The evacuation order remains in effect for the Davis Mountains Resort (DMR). Also, officials urge travelers to avoid Highway 166 to allow fire crews to do their work without interruption.
The evacuation order will go under review this afternoon and will either be called off or extended. KRTS will broadcast this information as soon as it become available.
The Livermore Ranch Fire began on Tuesday afternoon (April 24) when lightning sparked dry grasslands. On Friday, crews began a large-scale burnout of the north flank of fire, with back-burns focused on reducing fuel load in the fire.
Unfortunately, the northeast corner of fire - which found heavy fuel in timber and grasslands – crossed the fire line on Friday night and Saturday morning – and started buring toward Mount Livermore. In response, an air attack was sent into that area on Saturday afternoon. Fire crews knowns as "hot shots" noted that the wildfire had migrated to Bridge Gap to the north of Mount Livermore, to the head of Limpia Creek. Limpia Canyon approaches the DMR at its extreme northwest corner, about two miles away.
Overnight to Sunday morning, high humidity and cool temperatures, plus a slight east wind slowed the fire's growth. Air attack on Sunday morning confirmed reports that the fire did not grow in extent overnight. The fire is holding at about 8,200 acres. Heavy air tankers from Alamogordo, New Mexico, were launched at 10am and were expected to arrive before noon. Crews have primarily been in the DMR fighting that eastern flank of the blaze. There are 10 more engines coming, as well as additional SEATs (Single Engine Air Attack) that will be based out of the Marfa Airport.
The load-and-return time for flights out of Marfa will be about 20 minutes, which is much less than the 2-hour trip from Alamogordo for the heavy tankers, which also can't do precision dropping in the lower valleys like the SEATs.
Crews on the site include the Fort Davis Volunteer Fire Department, with 10 firefighters and 3 engines, as well as the DMR Volunteer Fire Department. The Valentine VFD is focused on the Spring Mountain Fire, which also did not grow in acreage overnight. That fire is holding at about 8,200 acres.
Fowler said that the new Reverse 911 system worked well – and others have been signing up for these notices. The Reverse 911 system, which dials residents during an emergency, was put in place last year after Rock House Fire in April 2011.
Residents not currently signed up for the Reverse 911 system may do so at the Fort Davis Volunteer Fire Department website.
Fowler also mentioned that the Reverse 911 system is not operating at full power at the moment - the department is not currently able to send out alerts by geographic region, thus all those residents of Jeff Davis County who signed up the service were contacted, rather than just those residents of the DMR.
Marfa Public Radio also spoke to Phyllis Arp, head of the DMR FireWise Committee and leader of the evacuation effort. She stressed that the evacuation was going well. Fifty households in the so-called Danger Zone (the far west side of the DMR) had been evacuated, and that the evacuation effort is currently focusing on those who would be unable to evacuate quickly if the situation worsened suddenly.
Currently, those residents situated on the east side of the DMR are awaiting more information before evacuating.
All DMR residents are strongly encouraged to stay off roads in order to avoid congestion with emergency vehicles, particularly Tomahawk Trail on the west side of the DMR.
The Davis Mountains Resort is about 9,000 acres and has about 75 miles of unpaved mountain road. There are about 150 full-time households in the DMR, and approximately 50 of them were evacuated in the danger zone on the west side. There is one main road in and out.
Of concern to Arp and other DMR first responders, were households with children, with health issues, with multiple pets, and those needing physical help or mobility issues. Many residents on the east side of the DMR are still at home and waiting to gauge the status of the wildfire later today.
There is special concern along Skyline, Limpia Canyon, Deer Run, and the Low Meadows areas. Arp urged residents to remain off Tomahawk Trail unless they were evacuating, in order to keep that west area of DMR open and free for emergency personnel.
Arp also emphasized that those asked to evacuate should do so immediately, as to not cause congestion issues on the DMR's narrow, unpaved roads, should the situation worsen.
Further information can be found at the DMR website.
Stay tuned to KRTS at 93.5 FM for continued updates throughout the day.
