Scene Friday of the lightning-caused Laguna Wildfire burning in the Coyote Ranger District of the Santa Fe National Forest, 8 miles north of N.M. 96 and west of the Chama River Canyon Wilderness. Courtesy/SFNF

Scene Friday of the lightning-caused Laguna Wildfire burning in the Coyote Ranger District of the Santa Fe National Forest, 8 miles north of N.M. 96 and west of the Chama River Canyon Wilderness. Courtesy/SFNF

SFNF News:

Located in the Coyote Ranger District of the Santa Fe National Forest (SFNF), 8 miles north of N.M. 96 and west of the Chama River Canyon Wilderness, the lightning-caused Laguna Wildfire remains at 1,300 acres burned and 12 percent contained.

The fire is burning oak brush, Pinyon-juniper, and ponderosa pine. Aerial and ground resources are on scene. Low-intensity surface fire has been observed with moderate rates of spread. The Laguna Wildfire poses no threat to people or property at this time.

Date of Origin:

• June 25, 2025 at 4 p.m. 

Personnel:

• 120.

Resources:

• 2 hotshot crews, 1 Type 2 Initial Attack crew, 1 helicopter, 6 engines, 2 water tenders.

History:

• 6-25-2025: Smoke was reported within the Coyote Ranger District and fire resources responded. 
• 6-26-2025: Fire increased to 0.5 acres and smoke was visible. 
• 6-27-2025: Fire size increased to 25 acres. 
• 6-28-2025 and 6-29-2025: Over the weekend fire crews were prepping containment lines. Fire increased in size to 50 acres
• 6-30-2025: SFNF planed to manage the Laguna Wildfire. The wildfire is burning in areas that have historic burned areas and previous prescribed fire. Fire managers will start firing operations as early as this week with the aim of restoring the ecological process of fire across approximately 13,000 acres of forest land.
• 7-2-2025: Closure Order 03-10-01-25-08 is in place and includes all National Forest System lands, roads, and trails within Township 24N Range 1E Sections 1,2,11,12,13,14,23,24,25,26 and Township 24N Range 2E Sections 4-9 and Sections14-32 and Township 25N Range 1E Sections 25,35,36 and Township 25N Range 2E Sections 30-32 of the New Mexico Principal Meridian within the Coyote Ranger District. The purpose of this Order is to protect the public’s health and safety during firefighting operations for the Laguna Wildfire.
• 7-3-2025: A public Open House was held at Coronado High School in Gallinas.
• 7-4-2025: Fire crews focused their efforts on reinforcing containment lines across the wildfire area. With the drier conditions following Thursday’s rain, firing operations were able to continue across the fire perimeter.

Outlook:

• Crews will continue firing operations by hand to secure the fire’s edge. To conduct a firing operation, firefighters cut away vegetation to make a line of bare soil ahead of a fire and then, using aerial and hand ignitions, burn the vegetation between that line and the actively burning fire front. Aerial ignition will be used to reduce fire intensity and to minimize firefighter exposure to ground hazards. Control lines being utilized include existing roads and natural barriers. The fire behavior is characterized as a low-intensity ground fire. Fuels being consumed include heavy dead and down wood, as well as tussock moth-killed mixed conifers. Sunday’s operations will remain the same.

Smoke: 

• Smoke is expected to increase significantly tomorrow and Sunday as firing operations pick up. Light northwest winds will push smoke southeast of the fire tomorrow afternoon. Smoke may impact Canones, Los Alamos and Santa Fe but conditions are expect to remain at moderate levels overall. Heavy smoke is expected to settle in the Rio Chama valley Saturday night and Sunday morning, along with potential impacts along the N.M. 96 corridor. Smoke will lift as the morning heats up on Sunday, but light winds will be slow to clear the smoke.

Safety: 

• The health and safety of firefighters and the public are always the highest priority. Please avoid the area while crews manage the Laguna Wildfire. Drones and firefighting aircraft are a dangerous mix and could lead to accidents or slow down wildfire operations. “If you fly, we can’t.”

More Information:

• 505.607.0879, claudia.brookshire@usda.gov, x.com/SantafeNF, facebook.com, santafeNF, Inciweb-Laguna Wildfire, NM Fire Info.

About the Forest Service:

• The USDA Forest Service has for more than 100 years brought people and communities together to answer the call of conservation. Grounded in world-class science and technology– and rooted in communities–the Forest Service connects people to nature and to each other. The Forest Service cares for shared natural resources in ways that promote lasting economic, ecological, and social vitality. The agency manages 193 million acres of public land, provides assistance to state and private landowners, maintains the largest wildland fire and forestry research organizations in the world. The Forest Service also has either a direct or indirect role in stewardship of about 900 million forested acres within the U.S., of which over 130 million acres are urban forests where most Americans live.