Albuquerque, NM – July 16, 2026 — Firefighters continue to respond to multiple lightning strike fires as a result of Wednesday’s scattered thunderstorms on the Mountainair Ranger District. An infrared (IR) flight is planned for today for central and northern New Mexico zone. IR aircraft are used to detect new fires started by lightning when […]

The McCauley Springs Fire in the Jemez Ranger District, east of Battleship Rock, is 100% contained at 712 acres.  The fire was reported on Wednesday, June 24, 2026. The Northern New Mexico Zone Type 3 Incident Management Team (IMT), led by Incident Commander Luke McLarty, initially managed the fire before the Southwest Area Incident Management Team 3, under Incident Commander Matt Rau, […]

Sacaton Fire Transfer of Command Acres: 9,861 Start Date: June 21, 2026 Location: 15 miles east of Glenwood, NM     Personnel: 123 Containment: 80% Cause: Lightning Summary: This afternoon, Gila Las Cruces Type 3 Incident Management Team is transitioning the Sacaton Fire to the Gila National Forest. This week, fire personnel continued suppression and repair efforts along […]

Evacuations Lifted and Bursum Road Opened Acres: 9,848 Start Date: June 21, 2026 Location: 15 miles east of Glenwood, NM Personnel: 140 Containment: 57% Cause: Lightning Summary: On Sunday, crews finished removing structure protection equipment from the Willow Creek subdivision. Resources also completed dozer work on the 119 Road. A grader began repairing Bursum Road […]

Repair Work Underway on Sacaton Fire Acres: 9,848  Start Date: June 21, 2026 Location: 15 miles east of Glenwood, NM Personnel: 161 Containment: 52% Cause: Lightning Summary: On Saturday, crews worked to remove slash from along containment lines. Firefighters began chipping lighter fuels and transporting slash with dump trailers. An excavator was used to fill […]

Precipitation Aids Containment on Sacaton Fire  Acres: 9737 Start Date: June 21, 2026  Location: 15 miles east of Glenwood, NM Personnel: 161  Containment: 43% Cause: Lightning  Summary: Fire crews made steady progress on Friday, supported by light precipitation over the entire fire area and helicopter bucket drops. Crews completed preparation work on the Bearwallow Road.  Along the 119 Road crews improved road access using a dozer. At Willow Creek, the […]

Steady Progress Continues on Sacaton Fire Acres: 9,675  Start Date: June 21, 2026 Location: 15 miles east of Glenwood, NM  Personnel: 165 Containment: 35%    Cause: Lightning Summary: On Thursday, a Type 1 helicopter conducted bucket drops on the northern portion of the fire. Light precipitation occurred over the incident, though not as much as in previous days. Preparation work continued […]

Over 80% of the fire was mapped as low soil burn severity   (Santa Fe, N.M., July 8, 2026) The Santa Fe National Forest has released the results of a Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) assessment following the McCauley Springs Fire, which began June 24 northeast of Jemez Springs and burned 716 acres in the Jemez Ranger District. The […]

Containment Increases on Sacaton Fire  Acres: 9,675 Start Date: June 21, 2026  Location: 15 miles east of Glenwood, NM Personnel: 167  Containment: 23% Cause: Lightning  Summary: On Wednesday, wetting rain significantly moderated fire behavior along the northern edge, helping improve containment on the northeast perimeter. A pocket of heat on the southwest side near Black Mountain increased the fire acreage by approximately 85 acres. Crews also continued […]

Daily Update – Wednesday, July 8, 2026 Carson National Forest DOMINIC SANCHEZ – INCIDENT COMMANDER Acres: 4,728                                                                            Start Date: June 26, 2026 Containment: 97%                                                                  Fuels: Timber, grass and understory Cause: Undetermined                                                             Personnel: 63 Location: 15 miles west of Tres Piedras, north of Hwy 64           Operational Highlights: Yesterday marks the Northern New Mexico Type […]

Wetting Rains Aid Firefighting Efforts Acres: 9,590 Start Date: June 21, 2026 Location: 15 miles east of Glenwood, NM            Personnel: 166 Containment: 17%  Cause: Lightning Summary: Yesterday morning a Type 1 Helicopter conducted water drops along the fire’s edge southwest of Willow Creek Subdivision, to slow the fire’s progression. In the afternoon, wetting rain moderated […]

Increased Containment on the North Edge of the Sacaton Fire Acres: 9,349 Start Date: June 21, 2026 Location: 15 miles east of Glenwood, NM Personnel: 166 Containment: 11% Cause: Lightning Summary: Yesterday containment increased on the northern flank where the fire reached the recent Hummingbird Fire footprint. The fire experienced light rain, though it was […]

Daily Update – Monday, July 6, 2026 Northern New Mexico Type 3 Incident Management Team STEVEN GRIEGO – INCIDENT COMMANDER Acres: 4,728                                                                            Start Date: June 26, 2026 Containment: 74%                                                                 Fuels: Timber, grass and understory Cause: Undetermined                                                              Personnel: 230 Location: 15 miles west of Tres Piedras, north of Hwy 64 Operation Highlights: Firefighters continue to make […]

Crews Direct Attack on Fire’s North Edge for Willow Creek Protection Acres: 9,274 Start Date: June 21, 2026 Location: 15 miles east of Glenwood, NM Personnel: 156 Containment: 0% Cause: Lightning Summary: On Sunday, crews put in direct line along the north edge of the fire, to protect cabins in the Willow Creek Subdivision. They […]

Northern New Mexico Type 3 Incident Management Team STEVEN GRIEGO – INCIDENT COMMANDER Acres: 4,729                                                                            Start Date: June 26, 2026 Containment: 43%                                                                  Fuels: Timber, grass and understory Cause: Undetermined                                                             Personnel: 237 Location: 15 miles west of Tres Piedras, north of Hwy 64           Highlights: Firefighters continue to make significant progress, with containment now at […]

Air Resources Support Firefighters in Suppression Efforts Acres: 8,638 Start Date: June 21, 2026 Location: 15 miles east of Glenwood, NM Personnel: 149 Containment: 0% Cause: Lightning Summary: On Saturday, Single Engine Air Tankers (SEATs) applied retardant to help slow the Sacaton Fire’s advance toward cabins and outbuildings in the Willow Creek Subdivision. The fire […]

Firefighters made continued progress today, significantly increasing containment to 43% and the fire remains at 4,728 acres. Crews remain actively engaged in securing and mopping up remaining hotspots along the fire’s edge, extinguishing lingering heat near containment lines to help ensure the fire remains within its established perimeter. As suppression efforts wind down in some […]

Saturday, July 4, 2026 Northern New Mexico Type 3 Incident Management Team STEVEN GRIEGO – INCIDENT COMMANDER Acres: 4,727                                                                            Start Date: June 26, 2026 Containment: 17%                                                                  Fuels: Timber, grass and understory Cause: Undetermined                                                             Personnel: 236 Location: 15 miles west of Tres Piedras, north of Hwy 64           Happy Fourth of July! As firefighters work […]

McCauley Springs Fire FINAL Update – July 4, 2026 Southwest Complex Incident Management Team 3 – Matt Rau Incident Commander Acres: 712                                             Containment: 77%                                      Start Date: June 24, 2026 Location: Jemez Ranger District, east of Battleship Rock                              Cause: Undetermined Fuels: Timber, grass & understory, hardwood litter                                                Personnel: 300                                       Highlights: Crews […]

Press Release – July 4, 2026 Firefighting Force Grows Quickly Acres: 6,782 Start Date: June 21, 2026 Location: 15 miles east of Glenwood, NM Personnel: 148 Containment: 0% Cause: Lightning Summary: Yesterday, 114 additional resources arrived on the Sacaton Fire. The fire continued to grow in the headwaters of Willow Creek, flanking through heavy fuel […]