RUIDOSO — The U.S. Forest Service reported Saturday afternoon that the Blue 2 Fire burning near Ruidoso was at 14% containment.

The lightning-caused fire eight miles north of Ruidoso in the White Mountain Wilderness Area is listed at 7,457 acres and is being fought by 802 personnel: 17 crews, 32 engines, eight helicopters, three bulldozers and 12 water tenders.

Friday experienced moderate weather, which assisted firefighters in completing additional containment. The southern end of Soldier Mountain gained more containment line as mop up work continued in the area by fire crews on the ground. Additional containment line was achieved on the fire perimeter west of Granite Knob. Firefighters are working hard to be able to mop up along the fire’s edge to prepare for the forecasted hot and dry weather early next week.

Fire crews continued mopping up and securing lines along the 107 A road and Soldier Mountain. Heavy equipment has been successful in progressing the contingency lines that surround the fire. Structure protection will continually have a presence throughout the surrounding communities on both day and night shifts to ensure that communities are being monitored for any changes to the fire. Mop up and patrol continues across the entire fire perimeter. Pumps, sprinklers, and water sources are being used to support structure protection and mop up efforts. Handline on the eastern forest boundary near Enchanted Forest and Sun Valley continue to progress.

Humidity was high during the day until late afternoon which assisted firefighters to continue working safely around the perimeter. Storm clouds were seen at the eastern edge of the fire area, however the fire did not receive any moisture. During the evening there was a drop in humidity due to southwesterly winds that dried out fine fuels. Today, higher humidity and wind is expected. Storm clouds will be seen during the day around the eastern side of the fire. Even though wind and storm clouds are expected, a major increase in fire behavior is not expected.

Smoke production has decreased due to minimal fire activity. Thunderstorms predicted outside of the fire perimeter will produce downflow winds that could move some light smoke into surrounding areas. View an interactive smoke map at fire. airnow.gov.

Evacuation levels remain unchanged. Evacuation shelters are expected to stay open over the weekend. Effort is continually being made by fire crews to ensure that the fire perimeter is safe before repopulation of the surrounding communities. For an interactive evacuation map go to tinyurl. com/Blue2Evacs.