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 […]

Yesterday, fire crews implemented several previously announced prescribed fire operations on the Magdalena and Mt Taylor Ranger Districts that may continue thru Sun. May 14th. Prescribed fire ignitions depended upon agency administrator approval and conditions within the ranges outlined in the prescribed fire plan. Optimal conditions result in effective smoke ventilation and dispersal and help […]

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 […]

ALBUQUERQUE, NM – May 11, 2023 – Fire Managers on the Cibola National Forest & National Grasslands (NF & NGs) plan to conduct several previously announced prescribed fire operations on the Magdalena and Mt Taylor Ranger Districts. Ignitions are planned to start as early as Thurs May 11 and continue thru Sun May 14. Ignition […]

Rating increases to ‘high’ for all three forest districts ALAMOGORDO, New Mexico – The Lincoln National Forest has increased the fire danger rating from “moderate” to “high” effective May 11, 2023.  The measure is a part of ongoing efforts to mitigate wildfire risk in the area. Under “high” fire danger ratings, fire can start easily […]

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 […]

For Immediate Release May 10, 2023 Contact:  Lisa Dittman, 505-285-4641 ext. 218, lisa_dittman@nps.gov Grants, NM – The National Park Service at El Malpais National Monument is postponing implementation of the Lava Fields Prescribed Fire due to changing weather conditions. Managers will re-evaluate implementation of the prescribed fire as conditions become more favorable.  The primary objective […]

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 […]

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Socorro Field Office, in cooperation with the New Mexico State Land Office, plans to conduct a prescribed fire on Chupadera Mesa east of Socorro, N.M., between May 15 and June 30, 2023. Because prescribed fire operations are weather dependent, the originally scheduled prescribed fire from earlier this year was rescheduled after fire […]

The fire danger ratings for 3 districts on the Cibola National Forest & Grasslands have been updated. Black Kettle Ranger District: Moderate Kiowa and Rita Blanca Ranger District: High (Rating Update) Magdalena Ranger District: Moderate Mount Taylor Ranger District: Moderate Sandia Ranger District: High (Rating Update) Mountainair Ranger District: High (Rating Update) The Fire Danger […]

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 […]

For Immediate Release May 3, 2023 Contact:  Lisa Dittman, 505-285-4641 ext. 218, lisa_dittman@nps.gov Grants, NM – The National Park Service at El Malpais National Monument is preparing to conduct a prescribed fire on the north side of the monument adjacent to Highway 53 between mile marker 65 and 68. The primary objective of this prescribed […]