2024 New Mexico wildfires

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2024 New Mexico wildfires
Aerial view of the Indios Fire on May 23
Impacts
Deaths2
Structures destroyed900+ damaged or destroyed
Damage$1.8 billion[1]
Season
← 2023
2025 →

The 2024 New Mexico wildfire season was a series of wildfires that burned throughout the U.S. state of New Mexico.

Background

[edit]
Further information: List of New Mexico wildfires

While "fire season" can vary every year in New Mexico based on weather conditions, most wildfires occur in from early May through June, before the monsoon season. However, there is an increasing fire risk year-round from climate change. Droughts are becoming more common partly from rising temperatures in the state that evaporate water from streams. Unpredictable monsoon levels can increase fire risks. New Mexico is prone to strong winds, and jet stream disruption from climate change can make them stronger. Intense winds contribute to drought, allow wildfires to spread, and dry out vegetation. Unique plant life and fine fuels in the state fuel wildfires, especially in the Eastern New Mexico grasslands. Rising temperatures will reduce snowpack and shorten the snowmelt season which can increase drought and wildfire severity.[2]

Overgrazing and logging in the late 1800s and over 100 years of strict fire suppression affected natural systems of New Mexico led to a growing wildfire risk and intensity. Scientists predict New Mexico's forests will gradually deteriorate, turning into shrublands as wildfires burn the forests.[2]

Summary

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By early August, New Mexico experienced an active wildfire season, with the Sangre de Cristo Mountains and Gila National Forest regions particularly affected. The Coyote Creek Fire, which started on August 5 near Lincoln County, ultimately burned 6,780 acres and prompted temporary road closures and evacuations of a few remote ranches.[3] Earlier in the season, the Black Mesa Fire, ignited by lightning in mid-June near San Juan County, charred 3,450 acres—the first major wildfire of the year in the state—before being fully contained by early July.[4]

Firefighter on the South Fork Fire on June 18

The late spring and summer period was marked by dry fuels, low humidity, and strong winds, leading to rapid fire spread across forested and grassland areas. The Red Hills Fire, which began near Alamogordo in late July, consumed over 5,200 acres and damaged several outbuildings, requiring aggressive firefighting tactics including backburning and aerial water drops.[5] Another incident, the Piedra Lumbre Fire, covering roughly 1,800 acres, threatened recreational areas along the Rio Grande, highlighting the state’s ongoing wildfire management challenges.[6]

New Mexico state wildfire suppression spending in 2024 reached approximately $15 million, driven largely by these larger incidents.[7] The New Mexico State Forestry Division also distributed $2.5 million in community mitigation grants to enhance preparedness in vulnerable rural areas facing persistent drought conditions.[8]

List of wildfires

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The following is a list of fires that burned more than 1,000 acres (400 ha), or produced significant structural damage or casualties.

Name County Acres Start date Containment date[a] Notes Ref
Blue 2 Lincoln 7,532 May 17 September 11 Fire caused by lightning on Lincoln National Forest. [10][11]
Indios Rio Arriba 11,477 May 19 August 2 Fire caused by lightning on Santa Fe National Forest and managed for ecological benefit. [12][13]
Antone Catron 12,455 June 7 July 30 Fire caused by lightning on Gila National Forest and managed for ecological benefit. [14][15]
Encerrita Cibola 2,496 June 15 August 28 Fire was caused by lightning on El Malpais National Monument. [16][17]
South Fork Otero & Lincoln 17,569 June 17 August 26 A mandatory evacuation order was issued for all of Ruidoso. Approximately 1,400 structures were lost, and two fatalities were reported. [18][19][20]
Salt Otero 7,939 June 17 August 26 Evacuations were prompted in the Mescalero Apache Reservation, and for the village of Ruidoso Downs on 18 June 2024. Over 400 structures were damaged or destroyed. [21]
Ridge Catron 4,257 July 2 September 19 Fire caused by lightning on the Gila National Forest. [22]
Fisher Socorro 8,044 July 4 July 21 Fire caused by lightning on the Cibola National Forest and managed for ecological benefit. [23][24][25]
Paramount Sierra 1,328 July 12 August 19 Fire caused by lightning on the Gila National Forest. [26]
Tanques Rio Arriba 6,645 July 18 August 21 Caused by natural factors. [27]
Island Union 1,600 August 22 August 28 Caused by natural factors. [28]
Map
Perimeters of 2024 New Mexico wildfires (map data)

Notes

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  1. ^ Containment means that fire crews have established and secured control lines around the fire's perimeter. These lines are artificial barriers, like trenches or cleared vegetation, designed to stop the fire's spread, or natural barriers like rivers. Containment reflects progress in managing the fire but does not necessarily mean the fire is starved of fuel, under control, or put out.[9]

References

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  1. ^ Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters, NOAA
  2. ^ a b "New Mexico Fire Season: In-Depth Guide". wfca.com. Western Fire Chiefs Association. Retrieved June 10, 2025.
  3. ^ "Coyote Creek Fire prompts evacuations in Lincoln County". August 12, 2024.
  4. ^ "Lightning sparks Black Mesa Fire in San Juan County". June 22, 2024.
  5. ^ "Red Hills Fire burns 5,200 acres near Alamogordo". July 30, 2024.
  6. ^ "Piedra Lumbre Fire prompts warnings along Rio Grande". August 8, 2024.
  7. ^ "New Mexico allocates $15 million for wildfire suppression". August 20, 2024.
  8. ^ "State grants fund wildfire mitigation in rural New Mexico". July 5, 2024.
  9. ^ "What containment and other wildfire related terms mean". Los Angeles: KCAL-TV. September 12, 2024. Retrieved July 25, 2025.
  10. ^ "Blue 2 Fire". InciWeb. Retrieved June 11, 2024.
  11. ^ Barrios, Luisa (June 2, 2024). "Blue 2 Fire near Ruidoso now 54% contained". KTSM.com. Archived from the original on June 20, 2024. Retrieved June 19, 2024.
  12. ^ "Indios Fire". InciWeb. Retrieved June 11, 2024.
  13. ^ Logan, J.R. (June 5, 2024). "To manage, not suppress". Taos News. pp. C1. Retrieved June 19, 2024.
  14. ^ "Antonne Fire". InciWeb. Retrieved June 11, 2024.
  15. ^ "Lightning-caused Antone fire on Quemado Ranger District". Gila National Forest. June 9, 2024. Retrieved June 19, 2024.
  16. ^ "Encerrita Fire". Watch Duty. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
  17. ^ "Encerrita Fire Update, June 18". NM Fire Info. June 18, 2024. Retrieved June 19, 2024.
  18. ^ "South Fork Fire". Watch Duty. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
  19. ^ "Two deaths reported in South Fork Fire, New Mexico State Police say". KAMC. June 18, 2024. Retrieved June 19, 2024.
  20. ^ "South Fork Fire, Salt Fire Evening Update 6/18/24". New Mexico Fire Information. June 19, 2024. Retrieved July 7, 2024.
  21. ^ "Salt Fire". Watch Duty. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
  22. ^ Pecotte, Maribeth (July 13, 2024). "Gila National Forest responding to Paramount Fire – Lightning caused fire in Indian Peaks planning area to be managed for resource outcomes". New Mexico Fire Information. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
  23. ^ "Fisher Fire". Watch Duty. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
  24. ^ "Fisher Fire burns 7K acres in Magdalena Ranger District". KRQE NEWS 13 - Breaking News, Albuquerque News, New Mexico News, Weather, and Videos. July 3, 2024. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
  25. ^ Johnson, Patricia E. (July 5, 2024). "Fisher Fire – July 5 Update". Cibola National Forest and National Grasslands. Archived from the original on July 10, 2024. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
  26. ^ Brisbine, Janelle (July 6, 2024). "Two fires burning in Gila National Forest". KOAT. Retrieved July 15, 2024.
  27. ^ "Tanques - Wildfire and Smoke Map". dailycomet. Retrieved April 27, 2025.
  28. ^ "Island - Wildfire and Smoke Map". Times-Gazette. Retrieved April 27, 2025.