Single Publication

Acres: 727                                                                           Start Date: Monday, May 26, 2025
Location: 13 miles south of Quemado, NM                           Personnel: 127
Containment: 74%                                                                Cause: Human-caused, under investigation

Summary: The Paradise Fire is now 74% contained. This morning, Incident Commander Marcus Cornwell transferred command of the Gila Las Cruces Type 3 Incident Management Team to Dustin Roper. Holding at 727 acres, the fire is located north of Quemado Lake.

Crews are patrolling and monitoring established hand lines, dozer lines, and roads as they work to hold and mop up the fire. They have observed smoldering and creeping fire behavior, along with isolated torching in interior pockets. An unmanned aerial system flown over the fire perimeter also helps resources on the ground to identify—and ultimately cool—remaining areas of heat.

Chipping of woody material cleared from along the containment line earlier this week will continue today. Chips are lightly spread across the ground. These efforts support suppression efforts by eliminating ladder fuels and surface fuels which can spread the fire. Other repair efforts include clearing out dirt tanks for future wildfire preparedness with benefits extending to wildlife and range.

A priority objective is to protect values at risk, including private property/residences, Socorro Electric Powerline, range infrastructure, Quemado Lake Recreation Area, and cultural resource sites.

The Gila Las Cruces Type 3 Incident Management Team is available for initial attack on any new starts that may result from predicted thunderstorms and dry lightning. Aviation resources also remain available if needed.

Weather: Today will bring highs in the 80s and a 20% chance of thunderstorms after 3 p.m. Chances of rain increase to 50% Sunday then to 70% overnight into Monday.

Closures: The Quemado Lake area is closed for public use for the protection of firefighter and public safety.

Safety: A Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) remains in effect over the fire area. Unauthorized drone use poses a serious risk to aerial firefighting operations. If you fly, we can’t.

Smoke: Local air quality ratings have ranged between “good” to “moderate” in recent days. For real-time smoke conditions, visit: https://fire.airnow.gov/.

Fire Restrictions: Stage 2 Fire Restrictions are in place on the Gila National Forest. For full details, visit https://www.fs.usda.gov/r03/gila/alerts/stage-2-fire-restrictions.

For more information:

Public Information Officer: Email Maribeth.Pecotte@usda.gov or 575-388-8211, 8am - 8pm 

Incident Information: https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-information/nmgnf-paradise-fire 

Facebook: www.facebook.com/GilaNForest