Another windy day for fire personnel battling the Cerro Pelado fire, but crews are still seeing containment.

Officials reported 45,605 acres burned on Friday, yet the fire is 75% contained.

"For the fire to stay within its footprint, was a huge success yesterday," Bill Waln, incident commander for Rocky Mountain Incident Management Team #3, said.

For weeks, firefighters have seen hot and dry conditions, especially high winds.

However, strategies remain in place.

"So today, the wind events [were] not quite as windy, but what we [noticed] is that very early this morning, it was hotter, and drier. and the winds started earlier," Waln said.

Tasks include placing over 600 fire personnel on the front lines, without the help of helicopters and scoopers.

Due to the 45-mile-per-hour winds reported on Friday, aerial operations were suspended.

"As of noon, we hadn't flown in the aircraft yet, and it's doubtful now for the rest of the afternoon that we'll use aircraft unless it comes in an emergency situation," Waln said.

However, officials said a small benefit can come with the windy weather and help crews.

"Strong winds actually pop the fire up a lot," he said. "A lot of our firefighters to find the heat go in and take care of it before it came in, probably later on."

Teams predict a cold front to move into the Jemez Springs area over the weekend.

Waln said crews are already preparing for lower temperatures and higher relative humidity to help in firefighting operations.

"We are going to be very aggressive where we can to try to take advantage of the conditions," he said. "As long as we can continue to hold containment within the existing footprint of the fire."

Officials expect to see 100% containment on the Cerro Pelado fire within the next 10 days, but note that the prediction depends on favorable weather.