Two wildfires in southwestern New Mexico that began less than a week ago have burned more than 70 square miles and were both 0% contained as of Monday morning, according to the latest updates.
The Trout Fire and the Buck Fire are both located north of Silver City and within a little more than 30 miles of each other. The Trout Fire, which began June 12, has burned more than 12,000 acres; the Buck Fire north of it, which began June 11, has burned about 34,000. More than 750 people are fighting both fires, including with helicopters and air tankers.
Officials ordered evacuations for the Trout Fire in areas north and south of the blaze, with people in some other areas nearby ordered to prepare to leave quickly. An evacuation map can be found here. An evacuation shelter is available at the Convention Center in Silver City.
No evacuations have been ordered for those in the area of the Buck Fire, though the Continental Divide Trail runs through both fire perimeters. As a result, Continental Divide Trail administrators have issued a โsoft closureโ along a 40-mile length of the trail area to discourage any CDT hikers from hiking through the area. According to the Continental Divide Trail Coalition, an โofficial closureโ is forthcoming.
The fires occurred in a part of the state that forecasters have warned for months will see elevated wildfire risk this summer, thanks to high heat, extremely low snowpack and ongoing drought.
The Buck Fireโs remote terrain makes access difficult, though fire crews made progress overnight with the help of fire-fighting aircraft, according to the latest update. Fire officials have determined that lightning caused the Buck Fire. The cause of the Trout Fire remains undetermined.
The Buck Fire stands as the biggest wildfire to burn in New Mexico this year, according to a Source review of the fire season. The Trout Fire is on its way to becoming the second-biggest. Until last week, the 16,000-acre Mogote Hill Fire near Wagon Mound had been the biggest of the year.
