Ponderosa pine forest in Laguna Wildfire showing low soil burn severity, with 81 percent low, very low, or unburned soil burn severity. Low soil burn severity (SBS) generally occurs where surface organic layers are not completely consumed and are still recognizable. Structural aggregate stability is not changed from its unburned condition, and roots are generally unchanged because the heat pulse below the soil surface was not great enough to consume or char any underlying organics. The ground surface, including any exposed mineral soil, may appear brown or black (lightly charred), and Read More
Fire
Laguna Wildfire Daily Update: Aug. 1, 2025
Forest Service News:
Lightning sparked the Laguna Wildfire on June 25, which has now consumed 17,413 acres and is 78 percent out. It is located in the Coyote Ranger District, 8 miles north of N.M. 96 and west of the Chama River Canyon Wilderness.
Firefighters inserted via helicopter Thursday into the Chama River Canyon Wilderness had their shift cut short due to afternoon thunderstorms. Those firefighters will be transported back into the Wilderness today to finish mopping up the remaining areas of heat.
While portions of the fire received rain on Thursday, the return of hot and dry weather over Read More
Heinrich Urges USDA And Interior Department To Provide Adequate Resources And Support To Wildland Firefighters
From the Office of U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich:
- Heinrich to DOI and USDA Secretary: “In addition to carrying out their own duties and responsibilities, firefighters reportedly have been thrown into serving in administrative and janitorial roles – ranging from cleaning campground bathrooms to answering front desk calls to mowing lawns.”
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, sent a letter to U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary (USDA) Brooke Rollins and U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) Secretary Read More
Laguna Fire Update: July 30, 2025
SFNF News:
Acres: 17,413
Start Date: 6/25/2025
Completion: 78 %
Location: Located in the Coyote Ranger District, 8 miles north of New Mexico State Road 96 and west of the Chama River Canyon Wilderness.
Personnel: 66 Resources: 1 crew, 2 helicopters, 4 engines, 1 water tender
Fuels: Oak brush, ponderosa pine, Piñon-juniper
Highlights: A local Type 4 team from the Santa Fe National Forest is now managing the fire. Yesterday’s increased humidity and lower temperatures reduced fire behavior to creeping and smoldering. This allowed firefighters to make good progress strengthening existing Read More
Laguna Fire Update: July 28, 2025
SFNF News:
Acres: 17,413
Start Date: 06/25/2025
Location: Gallina, NM
Cause: Lightning
Personnel: 175
Fuels: Oak brush, Piñon-juniper, mixed conifer
Containment: 75%
Resources: 3 crew | 5 engines | 2 helicopters | 1 unmanned aircraft system | 1 water tenders | 3 ambulance
Highlights: The fire was tested over the last 2 days with higher temperatures, low humidities, and varying wind directions but due to all the hard work of firefighters on the ground, and in the air, the fire stayed within the planned containment lines.
Tomorrow at 6 a.m. management of the Laguna Fire will transition from the Read More
Laguna Fire Update: July 27, 2025
SFNF News:
Acres: 17,388
Start Date: 06/25/2025
Location: Gallina, NM
Cause: Lightning
Personnel: 195
Fuels: Oak brush, Piñon-juniper, mixed conifer
Containment: 75%
Resources: 3 crew | 5 engines | 2 helicopters | 2 unmanned aircraft system | 2 water tenders | 3 ambulance
Highlights: Rising temperatures, winds, and lower humidity exposed more fuels on the northeast portion of the fire yesterday, which increased smoke as the fire burned through additional material in the interior of the fire. Today’s hot, dry conditions may sustain fire activity and produce more smoke.
Read More How Los Alamos National Laboratory Is Addressing ‘Forever Chemicals’ Known As PFAS … With This Nationwide Contaminant Of Concern, LANL Is Ahead Of The Curve
Sarah Holcomb and Randy Vigil check a device that collects wastewater samples entering and leaving Laboratory property. The samples assess the effectiveness of the treatment process for PFAS as well as other substances. Courtesy/LANL
LANL News:
They’re arguably the most talked about chemicals of our time, pervasive in everyday products and linked to a litany of adverse health effects. They are so widespread, in fact, that they’ve been detected in snowmelt on Mount Everest, the highest point on Earth.
Known as PFAS, or per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances, high levels have been found Read More
In Wake Of Trout Fire In Grant County, New Mexico State Agencies React Quickly To Restore Wildlife Habitat
NMDGF Director Mike Sloan
NMDGF News:
SILVER CITY — In the wake of the Trout Fire in Grant County, the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish (NMDGF) and New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) swiftly reseeded burned areas in collaboration with the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) to restore more than 1,200 acres of key habitat near the Bear Canyon Lake Wildlife Management Area through targeted reseeding efforts.
The state agencies’ quick reaction was crucial because the rapid response bypassed the potentially lengthy federal approval process that could have jeopardized seeding efforts due Read More
U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich & Tim Sheehy Introduce Legislation To Study Cost Of Wildfires On Homeowners
U.S. SENATE News:
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.) introduced the Wildfire Insurance Coverage Study Act, legislation to better understand the cost of increasingly destructive wildfires on homeowners’ insurance coverage and identify possible measures to alleviate the financial risk of wildfires.
“I’m hearing from more and more New Mexicans who’ve seen their insurance premiums skyrocket, lost coverage entirely, or been priced out of protecting their homes. That is completely unacceptable,” Sen. Heinrich said. “Families deserve Read More
Laguna Fire Update: July 24, 2025
SFNF News:
Acres: 17,020
Start Date: 06/25/2025
Location: Gallina, NM
Cause: Lightning
Personnel: 262
Containment: 55%
Fuels: Oak brush, Piñon-juniper, and mixed conifer
Resources: 1 crew | 7 engines | 4 helicopters | 2 unmanned aircraft system | 2 water tenders | 2 dozer | 3 ambulance
Highlights: Strategic use of aerial resources, including helicopters and unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), has supported efforts to secure the fire’s perimeter, while crews on the ground work to mop up and strengthen Read More