BOSQUE DEL APACHE NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE, N.M. (AP) — The visitor center and tour loop at Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge will remain closed as crews try to get a handle on a wildfire that has burned more than a square mile at the southern New Mexico refuge.
Officials warned the public Tuesday via social media that visiting the refuge is discouraged while firefighters battle the flames.
The fire started Monday and is burning mostly invasive salt cedar trees.
Chris Leeser with the refuge says crews are working to contain the fire within existing fire breaks that have been bolstered by lines put in by bulldozers.
About 120 personnel have been assigned to the fire.
The refuge is an important stop for migratory birds. Every winter, thousands of sandhill cranes, geese and other waterfowl make this stretch of the Rio Grande home.
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