NM Highway 15 closed due to 300-acre wildfire near Silver City
EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — New Mexico Highway 15 is closed to public traffic after a wildfire grew to 300 acres, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service on Thursday, June 12.
According to the news release by the Forest Service, the Trout Fire was originally estimated at 26 acres and located near Forest Road 876, north of the Sheep Corral area in the Gila National Forest.
The fire has now grown eastward, crossing over New Mexico Highway 15, and has grown to an estimated 300 acres.
Additionally, the Forest Service reported another 8.5-acre wildfire, the Meadow Fire, near the Meadow Creek area, roughly 15 miles north of Silver City. An engine crew established a fireline, and crews are working to contain the fire.
As of result of the growing Trout Fire, Highway 15 and 35 intersection south of the Ben Lilly Memorial has been closed to public traffic, the Forest Service said.
The Forest Service said the cause of the fires is under investigation.
The public is being asked to stay away from the fire area for their safety due to 'heavy firefighter traffic, the presence of uncontained wildfires and the dry, volatile conditions,' the Forest Service said.
The Gila Las Cruces Type 3 Incident Command Team is taking command of the Trout Fire and will transition into a Type 2 incident command organization at 6 p.m. on Friday, June 13, according to the Forest Service.
Responding resources to the Trout Fire include the Gila Hotshots, two Type 6 engine crews, one Type 3 engine crew, two 10-person fire suppression modules with support from two single-engine air tankers, one Type 1 and one Type 3 helicopter, and fixed wing air attack, the Forest Service said.
Additionally, the Forest Service said three more hotshot crews and two dozers have been ordered.
According to the Forest Service, an emergency alert was sent out by the Grant County Office of Emergency Management, placing most of the Mimbres Valley in 'set' mode. The Mimbres valley is from the Highway 15 and 35 intersection to the Wilderness Ranger District Office.
Visitors are also advised to leave recreation sites along Highway 35, including Lake Roberts Recreation Area, Mesa Campground, Upper End Campground, Sapillo Campground trailheads, and dispersed campsites, the Forest Service said.
Smoke is visible from Silver City, Highway 15, and the Mimbres Valley. And smoke can be expected to settle into low-lying areas, especially during overnight and early morning hours, the Forest Service said.
The Forest Service said smoke monitors have been set up at Lake Roberts and the Wilderness District Office. Real-time smoke information can be seen at Fire.AirNow.gov.
In addition, the Gila National Forest has put in a stage 2 fire restrictions in effect.
To learn more about fire restriction information, you can visit its website.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Yahoo
Nearly 20,000 acres burned in wildfires across Gila National Forest
Jun. 13—Two wildfires on opposite ends of the Gila National Forest have torched more than 19,000 acres, prompting some highway closures and evacuations in southwestern New Mexico. By Friday evening, neither the Trout Fire, burning north of Silver City, nor the lightning-caused Buck Fire, located southwest of Magdalena and Datil, had been contained since sparking the day before. The cause of the Trout Fire remains under investigation. Here's the latest on both fires, provided by InciWeb, a wildfire information management system, and other officials. Trout Fire A wildfire had burned over 3,900 acres and forced a highway closure 12 miles north of Silver City. The fire grew from 500 acres on Thursday evening to 2,000 by Friday morning. No one has been injured, and no structures have burned. The fire is burning in timber, brush and grass on both sides of N.M. 15 in the Sheep Corral and Meadow Creek areas, according to a statement from the Gila National Forest. "The fire was under the influence of hot, dry, windy weather and did push east of Highway 15 into the upper Meadow Creek area," said Maribeth Pecotte, a spokesperson for the Gila National Forest. N.M. 15 is closed where it intersects with N.M. 35, south of the Ben Lilly Memorial. An evacuation order from the Grant County Office of Emergency Management was issued Friday afternoon near the highways, and residents were asked to evacuate via N.M. 35 toward Mimbres. Pecotte urged travelers to avoid the area if they do not have a home or business in the N.M. 15 corridor. The Mimbres and Sapillo Creek valleys have been advised to prepare for the possibility of an evacuation, but Pecotte said it is up to the county to determine if and when evacuations will happen. "Fire activity has calmed down a bit over time and has not produced a lot of smoke this morning, but we do expect the fire to continue growing as the day heats up, and relative humidity drops to single digits and winds pick up," Pecotte said. Buck Fire The fire, southeast of Aragon and south of Pelona Mountain, had torched 16,00 acres and forced an evacuation for Garcia Camp. The fire moved onto private land and homes roughly 1 to 2 miles away are under threat, with power lines in the vicinity of the blaze. No injuries have been reported. The Continental Divide Trail south of N.M. 12 in Catron County has been impacted by the inferno, and Bureau of Land Management and fire officials have warned hikers to avoid that portion of the trail. Hotter and drier conditions are expected throughout the weekend, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Michael Anand. "There is a chance for some showers and some dry thunderstorms down there this afternoon, so if any dry lightning strikes do impact that area, with the extreme drought conditions, that could lead to future fire starts," Anand said.
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Yahoo
Nearly 20,000 acres burned in wildfires across Gila National Forest
Jun. 13—Two wildfires on opposite ends of the Gila National Forest have torched more than 19,000 acres, prompting some highway closures and evacuations in southwestern New Mexico. By Friday evening, neither the Trout Fire, burning north of Silver City, nor the lightning-caused Buck Fire, located southwest of Magdalena and Datil, had been contained since sparking the day before. The cause of the Trout Fire remains under investigation. Here's the latest on both fires, provided by InciWeb, a wildfire information management system, and other officials. Trout Fire A wildfire had burned over 3,900 acres and forced a highway closure 12 miles north of Silver City. The fire grew from 500 acres on Thursday evening to 2,000 by Friday morning. No one has been injured, and no structures have burned. The fire is burning in timber, brush and grass on both sides of N.M. 15 in the Sheep Corral and Meadow Creek areas, according to a statement from the Gila National Forest. "The fire was under the influence of hot, dry, windy weather and did push east of Highway 15 into the upper Meadow Creek area," said Maribeth Pecotte, a spokesperson for the Gila National Forest. N.M. 15 is closed where it intersects with N.M. 35, south of the Ben Lilly Memorial. An evacuation order from the Grant County Office of Emergency Management was issued Friday afternoon near the highways, and residents were asked to evacuate via N.M. 35 toward Mimbres. Pecotte urged travelers to avoid the area if they do not have a home or business in the N.M. 15 corridor. The Mimbres and Sapillo Creek valleys have been advised to prepare for the possibility of an evacuation, but Pecotte said it is up to the county to determine if and when evacuations will happen. "Fire activity has calmed down a bit over time and has not produced a lot of smoke this morning, but we do expect the fire to continue growing as the day heats up, and relative humidity drops to single digits and winds pick up," Pecotte said. Buck Fire The fire, southeast of Aragon and south of Pelona Mountain, had torched 16,00 acres and forced an evacuation for Garcia Camp. The fire moved onto private land and homes roughly 1 to 2 miles away are under threat, with power lines in the vicinity of the blaze. No injuries have been reported. The Continental Divide Trail south of N.M. 12 in Catron County has been impacted by the inferno, and Bureau of Land Management and fire officials have warned hikers to avoid that portion of the trail. Hotter and drier conditions are expected throughout the weekend, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Michael Anand. "There is a chance for some showers and some dry thunderstorms down there this afternoon, so if any dry lightning strikes do impact that area, with the extreme drought conditions, that could lead to future fire starts," Anand said.
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Yahoo
Gila National Forest closes part of its land due to Trout Fire
EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — The Gila National Forest has issued a public safety closure order for part of its land and recreation sites threatened by the Trout Fire that is burning north of Silver City. The closure area is south and west of New Mexico Highway 35, north of Allie Canyon Trail, Continental Divide National Scenic Trail, Signal Peak Trail, and Tadpole Ridge Trail, and east of Sheep Corral Canyon Trail and Forest Road 4083V in the Sheep Corral area, the Gila National Forest said. The fire was estimated to be 2,170 acres at 0 percent containment as of Friday morning, June 13. Trout Fire burning north of Silver City at 2K acres, 0% containment All National Forest system lands within the closure area are closed to public entry, including developed recreation sites along New Mexico Highway 35 including Allie Canyon Trailhead, Sapillo Continental Divide National Scenic Trail Trailhead, Railroad Canyon Trailhead, Pictograph Canyon Trailhead, Purgatory Chasm Trailhead, Sapillo Group Campground, Mesa Campground, Upper End Campground, Lake Roberts Day Use Area, Lake Roberts Picnic Area, Vista Ruins Picnic Area, and the Lake Roberts Recreation Area. Additionally, Grant County Sheriff's Office issued a 'Go' evacuation order for private properties along the western end of New Mexico Highway 35, from Sapillo Campground west to the Highway 15/35 intersection, on both sides of the highway. Private properties east of Sapillo Campground along New Mexico Highway 35 remain in 'Set' status under the wildfire preparedness Ready, Set, Go program. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
