Forest Service News Release

Laguna Wildfire Daily Update

Brandon Hess – Incident Commander

July 5, 2025

Acres: 2,700

Start Date: 6/25/2025

Completion: 15 %

Location: Located in the Coyote Ranger District, 8 miles north of New Mexico State Road 96 and west of the Chama River Canyon Wilderness.

Personnel: 120

Fuels: Oak brush, ponderosa pine, pinyon-juniper

Resources: 2 hotshot crews, 1 Type 2 Initial Attack crew, 1 suppression module, 6 engines, 2 water tenders

Highlights: Crews continued firing operations on the east side of the incident working west to FR 169. To conduct a firing operation, firefighters cut away vegetation to make a line of bare soil ahead of a fire and then using aerial and hand ignitions burn the vegetation between that line and the actively burning fire front. Aerial ignition will continue to be used to reduce fire intensity and to minimize firefighter exposure to ground hazards. Control lines being utilized include existing roads and natural barriers. The fire behavior is characterized as a low-intensity ground fire with isolated and group torching. Fuels being consumed include heavy dead and down wood, as well as tussock moth-killed mixed conifers.

Smoke: Smoke is expected to be present on Sunday as firing operations continue. Winds will continue to push smoke east-southeast but are anticipated to be lighter and more variable. As a result, smoke won’t travel as far and hazy conditions are expected to decrease as winds carry the smoke out of the area. Monday winds will pick up, clearing some of the haziness current present in the Rio Chama River valley.

Safety: The health and safety of firefighters and the public are always the highest priority. Please avoid the area while crews manage the Laguna Wildfire. Drones and firefighting aircraft are a dangerous mix and could lead to accidents or slow down wildfire operations. If you fly, we can’t.    

Closures: : Closure Order 03-10-01-25-08 is in place and includes all National Forest System lands, roads, and trails within Township 24N Range 1E Sections 1,2,11,12,13,14,23,24,25,26 and Township 24N Range 2E Sections 4-9 and Sections14-32 and Township 25N Range 1E Sections 25,35,36 and Township 25N Range 2E Sections 30-32 of the New Mexico Principal Meridian within the Coyote Ranger District. The purpose of this Order is to protect the public’s health and safety during firefighting operations for the Laguna Wildfire. See attached map for the closure area.

More Information: 505-607-0879 | claudia.brookshire@usda.gov| x.com/SantafeNF | facebook.com/santafeNF | Inciweb-Laguna Wildfire | NM Fire Info

About the Forest Service: The USDA Forest Service has for more than 100 years brought people and communities together to answer the call of conservation. Grounded in world-class science and technology– and rooted in communities–the Forest Service connects people to nature and to each other. The Forest Service cares for shared natural resources in ways that promote lasting economic, ecological, and social vitality. The agency manages 193 million acres of public land, provides assistance to state and private landowners, maintains the largest wildland fire and forestry research organizations in the world. The Forest Service also has either a direct or indirect role in stewardship of about 900 million forested acres within the U.S., of which over 130 million acres are urban forests where most Americans live.

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