GILA NATIONAL FOREST – Fire officials note several roads, trails and one national monument will be temporarily closed due to nearby fires in the Gila National Forest, but cooler weather this week should help firefighters to control the blazes.
The largest of the four fires is the Johnson Fire, which has scorched 30,826 acres as of Tuesday morning. The Catron County fire, started by lightning on May 20, is about 11 miles west of Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument.
Crews continue to monitor the active blaze as it heads toward the West Fork Gila River. The West Fork Gila River trail network is closed due to the fire. Also, the Upper and Lower Scorpion campgrounds are closed to public use because they are being used for fire camp operations.