Iron Fire breaks out in Gila, where forecasters have warned of dangerous fire conditions

Yahoo

05-05-2025

Forest Service public information officers pictured during the 2012 Whitewater-Baldy Fire in the Gila National Forest. A 900-acre fire known as the Iron Fire erupted Sunday in the Whitewater-Baldy Fire's burn scar, though conditions have improved Monday, a spokesperson said. (Photo courtesy Gila NF)
A 900-acre wildfire broke out Sunday in an area that forecasters have warned for months would experience above-normal wildfire risk.
Witnesses reported the Iron Fire around noon Sunday in the Iron Mesa area of the Gila Wilderness. It occurred amid a Red Flag Warning in the area due to dry conditions and wind gusts exceeding 40 mph.
The fire ignited in a remote area within the 2012 Whitewater Baldy Fire burn scar and is burning in grass, heavy dead and downed fuel and timber, according to an update from the Gila National Forest.
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A spokesperson for the Gila National Forest said Monday afternoon no formal update on the fire was expected until Monday evening, but the conditions are improving.
'We haven't seen significant growth today, under cloudy skies, cooler temps, and much lighter winds. We even had some snow over the fire this morning,' spokesperson Maribeth Pecotte wrote via email.
No homes are under evacuation orders, Gila forest officials said in an update, though those at recreational facilities at Snow Lake are ordered to leave. Also, crews are assessing whether structures in the Willow Creek area need to be protected, Pecotte said.
Nearly 50 people are responding to the fire, including two helicopters, two engines and two Hotshot teams. Two more teams are on their way, along with four additional engines. High winds Sunday prevented helicopters from collecting water at nearby Snow Lake, according to the Forest Service.
As of Monday morning, the last update given, the fire was 0% contained. Its cause has not been determined.
The fire occurs in an area where snowpack is far below normal, including some areas in Southwestern New Mexico where it is 0% of the median snowpack that accumulated there between 1991 and 2020.
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According to the May national wildfire outlook from the National Interagency Fire Center, citing drought and other factors, all of Southwestern New Mexico should expect above-normal fire conditions. The outlook for much of the rest of the state has improved to normal, however, according to the outlook.
In addition to the dangerous conditions, more than 25 people who work in the Gila National Forest were fired earlier this year as part of federal cost-cutting measures. It's not clear how many of them returned to work due to federal orders or how many are on administrative leave.
The Silver City Interagency Dispatch Center, which responded to the Iron Fire and handled communications and resource orders, is housed in a building on a list of federal lease terminations identified by the so-called 'Department of Government Efficiency.' U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich's office previously told Source New Mexico he'd received 'assurances' that the dispatch centers would stay open, but he has not yet received official word.
See a map below of the fire start location. More updates can be found here.