Latest news with #GilaNationalForest
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Paradise Fire burns 40 acres on the Gila National Forest
CATRON COUNTY, N.M. (KRQE) – Firefighters are responding to the Paradise Fire north of Quemado Lake on the Gila National Forest Monday night. It is burning between Quemado Lake and Escondido Mountain, moving to the northeast. Start Date / Time: 05/26/25Cause: n/aSize: Estimated 40 acresLocation: North of Quemado Lake on the Gila National Two Type 6 engines, Prineville Interagency Hotshot Crew, and the Gila Taskforce are enroute, and additional resources are being of vegetation in the area (aka fuels): ponderosa pine, pinon-juniper, and grassContainment: n/aRoad Closures: n/aEvacuations: n/a Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
3 fires still burning in Grant County; largest 50% contained
EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — Three wildfires continue to burn in Grant County east of Silver City, New Mexico, but firefighters are making progress in containing the largest of the three, officials with the Gila National Forest said Sunday afternoon, May 18 in an update. The three fires started Saturday, May 17 and were caused by lightning, fire officials said.' They are located east of the tiny town of San Lorenzo and south of New Mexico Highway 152. The Carrizo Fire has reached 137 acres but is 50 percent contained as of Sunday evening, fire officials said. Four engines and a state firefighting crew are being used to contain the fire. Forward progress has stopped on the fire, fire officials said. The Gallinas Fire is at 11 acres and two interagency hotshot crews are assigned to that fire. Fire officials reported moderate fire behavior with fire moving from heavy log to heavy log in the Silver Fire Burn Scar. The Outlaw Fire is at 30 acres. One hotshot crew is fighting this fire. Fire behavior is reported as being moderate. A fireline has been built three-quarters of the way around the fire. Both the Gallinas and Outlaw fires, however, are at 0 percent containment, fire officials said. Aerial resources were effective in applying retardant on all three fires on Saturday. However, no aerial resources could be used Sunday because of the 'red flag' windy conditions. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Gila National Forest: 3 wildfires burning in Grant County
EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — Three wildfires are burning in Grant County, New Mexico, east of Silver City on Saturday, May 17, the Gila National Forest said. The fires range from 20 acres to 7 acres and were caused by lightning, officials with the Gila National Forest said. They are located east of the tiny town of San Lorenzo and south of New Mexico Highway 152. The Carrizo Fire is on private land and was last reported to be at 20 acres, Gila National Forest officials said. Resources there include a hotshot crew, two other types of fire crews and four engines. The Gallinas Fire, south of Sawyers Peak and east of the Black Range crest, is 7 acres. The Outlaw Fire is 15 acres and is located between Outlaw Canyon and Gallinas Creek. The last two fires are at 0 percent containment. No further information was available about the Carrizo Fire. Two large air tankers and two single engine air tankers are responding to all incidents. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
After recent storms, NM not out of the woods when it comes to fire, drought concerns
May 9—SANTA FE — The recent rain and snow that fell across parts of New Mexico have eased wildfire concerns — for now — in the state's northern mountains and eastern grasslands, but not fully doused drought conditions. After an extremely mild, dry winter, most of southern and southwestern New Mexico remains in extreme drought conditions, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. "There's still definitely concern," said Andrew Mangham, a senior service hydrologist for the National Weather Service in Albuquerque. "Once we're dried out, we could be back in trouble again." David DuBois, New Mexico's state climatologist, said the Gila National Forest and Black Range did not receive much of the recent precipitation that traveled northwest from the Gulf of Mexico. "I think there's still risk if you go farther south," DuBois said, referring to a wildfire season that's started increasingly earlier in the year in recent years. Indeed, the Iron Fire in the Gila Wilderness burned more than 600 acres this week and prompted local evacuations before hotshot crews were able to slow its growth. However, parts of eastern New Mexico are no longer technically in drought conditions after receiving more than 2.5 inches of rain over the last week. Nearly 3 feet of snow fell in some parts of the high mountains of northern New Mexico, prompting the National Weather Service to issue a snowmelt flooding advisory through the weekend. But the May moisture could be a double-edged sword, Mangham said, as it could lead to an increased fuel load if it's followed by dry and warm conditions. He also said there's still concern about water levels statewide after the state's driest winter in 100-plus years. "One storm is not going to make up for such a dry winter," Mangham told the Journal. In fact, the state's overall drought outlook is still significantly more dire than it was at the start of the year. Specifically, just 1.3% of New Mexico was not designated as being abnormally dry or in drought conditions as of this week, compared to 43.7% of the state as of the start of January, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. In addition, about 92% of state residents live in parts of the state currently in drought conditions. Just days before the early May storms, Santa Fe National Forest had implemented Stage 1 fire restrictions that banned campfires outside designated fire rings through September. Claudia Brookshire, a U.S. Forest Service public affairs officer for the national forest, said those restrictions are still in place despite the recent precipitation. She said they could be reevaluated if there is more rain and snow in May, but cautioned that June is typically New Mexico's hottest and driest month. "When we initially made the decision to implement Stage 1 Fire Restrictions, we were experiencing a historical drought," Brookshire told the Journal. "Although recent rainfall has exceeded initial predictions, we are closely monitoring the weather." In the Santa Fe National Forest and in other parts of the state, local officials warned that warmer, drier weather could bring renewed fire danger even after the recent moisture. "If we get some really warm days, that could change pretty rapidly," cautioned DuBois, who is also a professor at New Mexico State University. Dangerous fire weather could return to southwest New Mexico early next week, as strong winds and low humidity combine to create moderate to high fire danger, according to the National Weather Service. "It really depends on where you are in the state," said Mangham.
