Firefighters have made significant progress on the construction of control lines ahead of the main fire, connecting hand lines and dozer lines into natural features such as ridges and cliffs as well as the existing road system.

Despite exceptionally dry conditions, fire growth has been limited as the fire moves slowly against the wind and downslope. A daily operational briefing video explaining details of the Bear Trap Fire operations can be viewed on the Cibola National Forest Facebook page.

Although firefighters have observed some heat on the northern and eastern sides of the fire, there is very little fire movement through the previously burned areas.

Crews are continuing control line construction to the southwest, followed by low-intensity burning operations inside the lines near Grassy Lookout and Hudson Canyon.

By removing excess vegetation ahead of the main fire, firefighters can limit the fire’s intensity to prevent it from crossing these lines.

In the southeast, firefighters continue to evaluate fire behaviour as they develop a plan to finish line construction in the Narrow Spring area.

Helicopters are supporting firefighters on the ground by dropping water from specially designed buckets to cool down the fire as it approaches constructed lines.

Crews are working with local Resource Advisors to follow general guidelines for the protection of sensitive resources, including threatened and endangered species habitat while achieving incident objectives.