| Front aisle gives firefighters an advantage at Encerrita FireNM Fire Info

June 21, 2024 by npsnmfireinfo

For Immediate Release: June 21, 2024

Contact: El Malpais National Monument Visitor Center, 505-876-2783

The front aisle gives firefighters an advantage on the Encerrita Fire

Grants, NM — The Encerrita Fire only burned 3 acres Thursday due to higher humidity after moving from the front. The 2,282-acre lightning-caused fire is located in El Malpais National Monument, 25 miles southwest of Grants.

Firefighters were helped Thursday by high humidity and lighter winds as they continued to secure lines and focus efforts on keeping the fire south and east of Highway 53. The west side of the fire slowly progressed toward a designated fire, which was completed by the NPS in April 2024. Growth in the south and east remained minimal and slowed as it moved into lava fields and other areas with minimal fuel availability.

Firefighters will continue to construct a line from the southwest corner of the fire to the Continental Divide Trail (CDT) and ultimately to Highway 53 to the western edge of the fire, weather permitting. From today, heavy rainfall with afternoon thunderstorms are expected throughout the weekend, which will facilitate firefighting operations.

Closures at the monument remain in effect. The Continental Divide Trail (CDT) and Zuni-Acoma Trail are closed in El Malpais National Monument from Porter Ranch Rd at Hwy 53 to Hwy 117; there is a CDT bypass between CDT miles 502.5 to 512.5; more information can be found on the CDT website. Both the Zuni-Acoma Trail west parking lot and the Acoma-Zuni Trail east parking lot will be closed. Closures were announced and residents were asked to avoid closed roads, trails and parking lots. The El Calderon Trail remains open.

The El Calderon Trail remains open, but bat flight programs scheduled for today, June 21, and tomorrow, June 22, have been canceled due to bad weather; please check with the visitor center for future program schedule changes that may occur.

Additional updates on the Encerrita Fire will be available on Facebook (@ElMalpaisNPS) and Inciweb. Please contact the El Malpais Visitor Center at (505) 876-2783 or visit for additional information regarding monument closures.

www.nps.gov