Local firefighting resources are responding to three wildland fires in the Grant County area, including the Carrizo, Outlaw, and Gallinas fires. The string of fires were started by lightning strikes early this morning. They are located east of San Lorenzo and south of New Mexico Highway 152. The Carrizo Fire is 20-acres, burning in grass, […]

Wind Event Moves in as Team Prepares to Transfer Command to the Gila National Forest Acres: 482                                                     Start Date: Sunday, May 4, 2025Location: 38 miles east of Glenwood, NM                                                                                   Personnel: 142Containment: 100%                                                                                               Cause: Lightning Summary: This will be the FINAL press release for the Iron Fire. The fire is 100% contained as of Monday afternoon. No […]

Helicopters Support Final Operations as Resources Exit Fireline Safely Acres: 482                                                                                     Start Date: Sunday, May 4, 2025 Location: 38 miles east of Glenwood, NM                                       Personnel: 173 Containment: 92%                                                                         Cause: Lightning Summary: Mop-up operations continue across the fire area, with crews now working to a depth of up to 100 feet where conditions allow. This effort […]

Ground Mapping Completed as Containment Increases Acres: 482                                                                                     Start Date: Sunday, May 4, 2025 Location: 38 miles east of Glenwood, NM                                       Personnel: 200 Containment: 77%                                                                         Cause: Lightning Summary: Ground-based GPS mapping of the Iron Fire has been completed, providing a highly accurate and detailed representation of the final fire perimeter. The fire has been mapped […]

Firefighters Begin Ground Mapping; Snow Lake Reopens for Public Use Acres: 637                                                                               Start Date: Sunday, May 4, 2025 Location: 38 miles east of Glenwood, NM                                 Personnel: 183 Containment: 45%                                                                   Cause: Lightning Summary: Firefighters initiated a ground-based GPS perimeter walk yesterday to improve the accuracy of fire mapping. While the effort is still underway, the northern […]

Fire Mapped While Crews Complete Containment Line Acres: 822                                                                               Start Date: Sunday, May 4, 2025 Location: 38 miles east of Glenwood, NM                                 Personnel: 182 Containment: 10%                                                                   Cause: Lightning Summary: Following several days of moisture over the fire area, an infrared (IR) flight was conducted to map the fire perimeter and identify areas of remaining heat. […]

Helipad Built to Support Fireline Supply Operations in Remote Terrain Acres: 901                                                                               Start Date: Sunday, May 4, 2025 Location: 38 miles east of Glenwood, NM                                 Personnel: 168 Containment: 5%                                                                    Cause: Lightning Summary: Two hotshot crews used direct line construction tactics on the fire edge and completed construction of a helispot yesterday. The purpose of creating […]

Press Release – Tuesday, May 6, 2025 – Notification for Public Health and Safety Acres: 901                                                                                            Start Date: Sunday, May 4, 2025 Location: 38 miles east of Glenwood, NM                                                                                   Personnel:  156 Containment: 0%                                                                                         Cause: Under Investigation Summary: At 6:00 a.m. today, Incident Commander Marcus Cornwell and the Gila Las Cruces Type 3 Incident Management Team […]

Wildfire reported in Gila Wilderness Reserve, NM, May 4, 2025—The Gila National Forest and Wilderness Ranger District are responding to the Iron Fire, reported about noon today in the Iron Mesa area of the Gila Wilderness. Driven by strong winds, the Iron Fire has grown quickly to 901 acres. The safety of firefighters and the […]

FIRE RESTRICTIONS NOTIFICATION Silver City, NM, Apr. 25, 2025—With continued windy, dry weather and increasing heat, the Gila National Forest will move to Stage 2 fire restrictions on Monday, April 28. The purpose of the restrictions is to protect public health and safety, as well as National Forest System lands, resources, and facilities by reducing […]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Notification for Public Health and Safety Silver City, NM — April 23, 2025 — With fire danger at very high levels and no rain in sight, the Southwest Coordinating Group has brought in a five-person National Fire Prevention Education Team (NFPET) to support wildfire prevention efforts in the Gila National Forest and […]

FIRE RESTRICTIONS NOTIFICATION SILVER CITY, NM, Mar. 6, 2025 – Based on extremely high fire danger and persistent dry weather and fuels conditions, the Gila National Forest will begin to implement forest-wide Stage 1 fire restrictions at 8:00 a.m. on Monday, March 10, 2025, which will remain in effect through September 30, 2025, unless rescinded […]

PUBLIC SAFETY NOTIFICATION SILVER CITY, NM, Feb. 21, 2025 – The Silver City Ranger District is preparing to implement a prescribed fire within the 251-acre Mulberry 1 project area, in early to mid-March pending resource availability and appropriate weather and fuels conditions. Located 2 miles southwest of Oak Grove subdivision and 2 miles west of […]

Firefighters from the Silver City and Wilderness Ranger Districts plan to ignite slash piles today in the Little Walnut/Gomez Peak area, approximately 5 miles north of Silver City. Crews on the Wilderness Ranger District plan to ignite slash piles in the Terry Canyon area, approximately 13.6 miles north of Mimbres. It is recommended that hikers […]

QUEMADO, NM, Jan. 28, 2025 – The Quemado Ranger District plans to use prescribed fire to burn the Baca community slash disposal site when conditions allow. The district is also preparing to continue burning 800 acres of slash piles adjacent to Luna, New Mexico. Crews are monitoring weather for precipitation events to support slash pile […]

Silver City and Wilderness Ranger Districts are preparing to burn slash piles beginning as early as Wednesday, January 8, coincident with predicted snowy weather conditions. These prescribed fire activities have been previously announced in the latest news releases from Gila National Forest. Slash piles targeted for burning this week exist on Gila National Forest lands […]

Crews to burn slash piles near Little Walnut, Fort Bayard, and Pinos Altos areas SILVER CITY, NM, Dec. 6, 2024 – The Gila National Forest, Silver City Ranger District is assessing conditions in preparation for burning slash piles in the Little Walnut, Fort Bayard, and Pinos Altos areas this fall and winter. Slash piles are […]

Black Range Ranger District plans prescribed fire near New Mexico Highway 59 and Forest Road 150 SILVER CITY, NM, Dec. 16, 2024 – The Gila National Forest, Black Range Ranger District is preparing to implement prescribed fire at multiple locations across the district between now and the end of February 2025. A total of about […]

Burning of slash piles near Brushy Mountain to reduce hazardous fuels SILVER CITY, NM, Dec. 16, 2024 – The Gila National Forest, Glenwood Ranger District is preparing to use prescribed fire to burn slash piles adjacent to private property at Pine Cienega off of Brushy Mountain Road (Grant County Road 5-12). The prescribed fire project […]

Wilderness Ranger district to conduct prescribed fires during early December MIMBRES, NM, Nov. 15, 2024 – The Wilderness Ranger District is planning to conduct multiple prescribe fire projects, including the 250-acre Upper Terry Canyon Prescribed Fire along Forest Road 150. The district will also look to implement the 128-acre T-bird Prescribed Fire directly behind Camp […]