Single Publication

Acres: 727                                                                  Start Date: Monday, May 26, 2025

Location: 13 miles south of Quemado, NM                  Personnel: 146

Containment: 12%                                                       Cause: Human-caused, under investigation

Summary: Crews worked to bring the Paradise Fire to 12% containment on Wednesday under command of the Gila Las Cruces Type 3 Incident Management Team. The Paradise Fire is burning in ponderosa pine, pinon-juniper, and grass, approximately 13 miles south of Quemado, NM on the southern flank Escondido Mountain and north of Quemado Lake. While the perimeter of the fire has only negligibly changed, more accurate mapping shows that the fire is currently 727 acres.

Today, crews will work the perimeter of the fire to extinguish hot spots and hold the fire at established hand and dozer lines and existing roads. Firefighters continue to protect values at risk, including private property/residences, Socorro Electric Powerline, range infrastructure, Quemado Lake Recreation Area, and cultural resource sites. Aviation resources remain available if needed. The team also brought in an unmanned aerial system to fly the perimeter with an infrared camera to identify remaining areas of heat. Chipping of accumulated woody material will take place along the containment line. Considering the area’s dry conditions, Paradise Fire resources are available for initial attack with the potential for lightning in the forecast.

Weather: Thursday will bring sunshine and a high near 80. An east wind of 5-10 mph is forecasted to become southwest and reach 10-15 mph in the afternoon. There’s a slight potential for thunderstorms beginning Friday.

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: Smoke production was moderate, and local air quality was rated at “good” as of Wednesday evening. For real-time smoke conditions, visit: 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.govor 575-388-8211, 8am - 8pm 

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

Facebook: www.facebook.com/GilaNForest