The Comanche Fire is a lightning caused wildfire that was first detected Jun. 8, 2023. It is located off Forest Road 137 on the El Rito Ranger District near the communities of El Rito, Abiquiu and Canjilon.

The fire is 100% contained. Carson National Forest crews continue to patrol and monitor the fire before calling it controlled and out.

Fire Management Strategies

With no threat to lives, homes or infrastructure, crews initially moved forward with a confine and contain strategy. This response let crews actively work with the fire as it fulfilled its natural role in a fire-dependent ecosystem, which is a desired condition outlined in the Carson National Forest’s 2022 Land Management Plan.

The confine and containment strategy means using tactical actions to manage the fire within a predetermined area (confine) and then using points to stop the fire’s spread (contain).

Fire managers shifted their strategy to suppression on Jun. 25 as weather conditions became less favorable for the fire to fulfill its ecological role. 100% containment was achieved on Jul. 24.

The Big Picture

The fire is burning within the footprint of the Rio Chama Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Project, where the Forest Service and partners are working across boundaries on 3.8 million acres in Northern New Mexico and Southern Colorado. A key project goal is to restore natural fire regimes to gain numerous benefits, from improved watershed health to increased habitat quality.

Timber (litter and understory), brush (2 feet).

Minimal, creeping, smoldering