Date/Time: The Chance fire is active on private land west of Ruidoso in Lincoln County. This human-caused fire was reported this afternoon around 12:20 and had 240 homes within a 1-mile radius of the fire start. The fire has burned 10.3 acres. Effective suppression efforts from the Forestry Division, Lincoln County Volunteer Fire Department, Ruidoso […]

LS Mesa Fire fully contained; strong aerial support and quick action by ground crews were the recipe for success SILVER CITY, NM, June 13, 2023 – The LS Mesa Fire, which ignited Friday, June 9, due to an unknown cause, is 100% contained at 132 acres. “A strong aerial attack on Saturday set up ground […]

Containment is at 60% SILVER CITY, NM, June 12, 2023 – Crews established containment lines around all sides ofthe LS Mesa Fire yesterday, declaring the fire 60% contained today. It is located approximately 9 miles east of Gila, New Mexico on public lands managed by the New Mexico Forestry Division, the Bureau of Land Management, […]

Crews are constructing containment lines and mopping up hot spots  SILVER CITY, NM, June 11, 2023 – The LS Mesa Fire is located approximately 9 miles east of Gila, New Mexico on New Mexico state lands and the Gila National Forest. Driven by gusty winds, the LS Mesa Fire grew to an updated 132 acres […]

Cool temperatures and light precipitation over the fire area yesterday gave firefighters a boost in securing the line, bringing containment of the fire to 90%. Suppression repair is continuing as firefighters work to fully contain the fire. Fire traffic is still present near the fire and fire managers ask that the public be aware of […]

May 14, 2023 – Containment of the Las Tusas Fire has reached 60%. Cooler temperatures, higher humidity, and cloud cover helped firefighters make significant gains in securing the fire line. No significant precipitation has occurred over the fire area. Suppression repair is taking place, and any damage caused by fighting the fire will be repaired […]

Firefighters are making significant progress in securing the fire line. Mop up operations are in place to create a barrier of “cold black” along the fire line. The cold black barrier will act like a catcher’s mitt, keeping embers and other potential threats within the fire line. Yesterday’s progress brought the fire’s containment to 30%. […]

Today, firefighters made progress securing the fire line. Containment is 30 percent, with 969 acres burned. As of 1:30 p.m., evacuation orders have been lifted for the area. The orders affected 165 residences, and an estimated 492 individuals. A San Miguel County Sheriff’s office damage assessment found 3 structures were lost, along with 10 outbuildings.   Start […]

Air tankers and helicopters were utilized to aid firefighting efforts to suppress the Las Tusas fire. Firefighters worked overnight to secure the perimeter taking advantage of lower winds and cooler temperatures. They will continue to secure the fire edge and mop up any potential threats to the fire line as well as implementing structure protection […]

Update 11 a.m. 5/11/23: The Las Tusas fire is located on private land near HWY 94, west of Sapello in San Miguel County. The cause of the fire is under investigation. State, local and federal resources are responding and fire managers have implemented a full suppression strategy. At this time, the fire has burned over 1,000 estimated acres. Firefighters have confirmed that structures were lost and emergency responders are currently […]

Update 11 p.m. 5/10/23: The Las Tusas fire has grown to 1,000 acres and is at zero percent containment. Multiple structures have been burned and evacuations are still in place.   Upon initial attack, the fire was running significantly and managed to jump NM 266. Crews have been working on structure protection and stopping the […]

Update 8 p.m. 5/10/23: The Las Tusas fire is located near HWY 94, west of Sapello in San Miguel County and was discovered around 4 p.m. this afternoon. The fire is running through pinon/juniper, mixed conifer, ponderosa and heavy grass. It is estimated at 100-200 acres and the cause is under investigation.   A Type-3 incident management […]

Update 12:30 p.m. 5/10/23: The Las Cocas fire is now at 75% containment, with 58 acres burned. Resources are mopping up along the flanks and creating grids to check for hotspots within the interior. There will still be visible smoke in the area due to the increase in winds. Mop-up operations will continue throughout the […]

Update 5:30 p.m. 5/9/23: The Las Cocas fire is at 60% containment. Crews are tying hand lines to established dozer lines, with a hose line set across the fire’s north flank. Any instances of slop-over have been mopped up. Tomorrow’s temperatures are expected to drop slightly, but the wind event is expected to bring gusts of […]

Update 2:30 p.m. 5/9/23: The Las Cocas fire is at 30% containment and estimated at 58 acres. Hand crews and a helicopter are using water to aid suppression. The fire is active in the interior and there is some smoldering on the fire perimeter. Wind speeds are from the west at 5-10 mph, and the probability of […]

Update 10 a.m. 5/9/23: The Las Cocas fire is at 30% containment and estimated at 75-100 acres. The fire is active along the south and east flanks but is still burning within containment lines. Temperature is 66 degrees and winds are from the northwest at 8 mph with gusts up to 15 mph. Relative humidity is 14%. […]

Update 9 p.m. 5/8/23: The Las Cocas fire is at 10% containment and estimated at 75-100 acres. Fire behavior is currently back and creeping. Dozer line is being cut along the south flank of the fire from west to east and pushed up the north flank. Currently, volunteer fire departments are digging hand lines around the east […]

The Las Cocas fire is burning just south of Guadalupita in Mora County. The fire was reported at approximately 5:50 p.m. and is running and smoldering through 75 acres of mixed fuels including grass, pinon and ponderosa pine. The fire was pushed northeast by 11 mph winds from the southwest, however the ridge line has slowed that […]

Update 10:30 a.m. 5/6/23: All lines held through yesterday’s wind event and through the evening. Containment this morning is 50%. This will be the last notification unless significant changes occur.  Update 9:30 a.m. 5/5/23: The Park fire showed no overnight growth after this morning’s reconnaissance. Acreage remains at 3,000. Today, crews will be focusing on […]

Update 6:30 p.m. 5/5/23: This evening, crews continue to mop up along the fire’s edge and secure lines. The day’s containment strategies proved effective against the prevailing winds. Persistent interior pockets have begun to burn themselves out. Angel Fire and Cochiti crews will remain on the fire overnight. Containment remains at 40%. This will be […]