NEWS RELEASE
USDA Forest Service
Lincoln National Forest
1101 New York Avenue
Alamogordo, N.M. 88310

For Immediate Release Contact: Beth Wilson – (505) 682-4217
Gwen Shaffer – (505) 439-6018
Joe Garcia – (505) 434-7290

WALKER FIRE UPDATE - #1
Alamogordo, N.M. (May 10, 2003)
Release Time: 12:00 PM - Saturday – May 10, 2003

Southwest Area Type 3 Incident Management Team
Eddie Tudor - Incident Commander

Started: Reported at 4:35 p.m., Friday, May 9, 2003, and started in 
Sixteen Spring Canyon

Cause: Under Investigation. Lighting fire strike has been ruled out.

Location: Sacramento Ranger District, Lincoln National Forest, 15 miles 
east of Cloudcroft, NM

Size: 3,000 acres

Containment: Unknown at this time

Expected containment: unknown at this time

Structures lost: 2 (not confirmed if primary or secondary residences)

Costs to date: Unknown at this time

Resources on Fire: 3 type 2 crews - BIA/Mescalero Agencies Smokey Bear, 
Sacramento and Santa Fe Hot Shot crews 

Engines, Dozers, water tenders
1 lead plane
1 air attack
2 heavy air tankers

Status: The fire has two heads, one burning east along Sixteen Springs 
Canyon and the other is moving N-NE in Elk and Crooked Canyons. There is 
a considerable amount of unburned area between the two heads of the fire. 
The fire has burned on Lincoln, Mescalero Apache Reservation and private 
lands. Two structures are confirmed lost. Structure protection is in place. 
Firefighter and public safety remain the highest priority for this incident.

Today’s weather and fire behavior: High winds over Friday night and early 
Saturday morning created crowning and spotting conditions. Winds for Saturday 
are expected to be moderate to high.

Closures:
NM State Police has established roadblocks on Sixteen Springs Road, Elk 
Canyon Road, Carr Gap Road, and Three Mile Road. No major highways have been 
closed.

Evacuation Center: The Red Cross has been activated and the Salvation Army 
is on-hand.

Related Information: A transition from Eddie Tudor’s Type III Team to 
Larry Raley’s Type II Team will take place at 1800 on May 10, 2003.

A media briefing is tentatively scheduled for 2 pm, Saturday, May 10, 2003, 
at the Village of Cloudcroft Town Hall on Burro Avenue.

The Southwest Incident Management Team would like to thank the surrounding 
mountain communities, NM State Forestry, US Forest Service, Bureau of Indian 
Affairs, Bureau of Land Management, NM State Police, Otero County Sheriffs 
Department, and numerous local volunteer fire departments for their generous 
support and cooperation during this time of fire activity.