Seven Cabins Fire reaches 17,852 acres

New Mexico fire managers said in a May 22 daily update that the Seven Cabins Fire in the Capitan Mountain Wilderness had reached 17,852 acres and that containment had increased. The fire started May 14 north of Capitan in Lincoln County, according to New Mexico Fire Information and earlier U.S. Forest Service updates. Officials said 863 personnel were assigned to the incident as crews continued air and ground operations in rugged terrain. The fire is burning in heavy dead fuels in the Peppin burn scar, according to the update. ### Where is the fire and how large is it now? The May 22 update placed the fire in the Capitan Mountain Wilderness in southern New Mexico and listed its size at 17,852 acres. That was up from 16,703 acres in the May 21 daily update and 16,443 acres in the May 20 report, showing continued growth over several days. Officials have described the terrain as rugged and in places inaccessible, which is one reason the response has relied on both aircraft and crews on the ground. (nmfireinfo.com) ### What did officials say about containment? The May 22 incident update said containment had increased because of the work of air and ground firefighters. Secondary reports based on that update, including KRWG and KTSM, said the fire was 15% contained as of May 22. On May 19, officials had listed containment at 0%, and on May 20 they said firing operations and moderated winds had led to a rise in containment. (nmfireinfo.com) ### What work are firefighters doing on the ground and in the air? KRWG, citing the Lincoln National Forest update, said seamless coordination between night and day crews helped raise containment to 15%. KTSM reported that firing operations on May 21 were supported by aerial and ground resources, including 150,000 gallons of water delivered by air. The official May 22 update said the incident had 39 crews, 34 engines, 8 helicopters, 39 water tenders and 7 dozers assigned. (nmfireinfo.com) ### How did the fire start? The U.S. Forest Service said in a May 15 morning update that the fire began at 4:12 a.m. on Thursday, May 14, north of Capitan. Officials have classified the cause as human-caused in daily incident updates. KRWG reported, citing the Lincoln National Forest information, that the fire was caused by the crash of a medical transport plane on May 14. (krwg.org) ### What should residents watch next? New Mexico Fire Information posted the May 22 update with maps and evacuation information on the incident page. KOB reported on May 23 that the fire had grown further to 19,088 acres by Friday night, indicating the situation remained active after the May 22 report. Officials have directed the public to follow the incident page and local emergency management notices for the next daily updates, maps and evacuation notes. (fs.usda.gov) (nmfireinfo.com)