July 12, 2026
Repair Work Underway on Sacaton Fire
Acres: 9,848
Start Date: June 21, 2026
Location: 15 miles east of Glenwood, NM
Personnel: 161
Containment: 52%
Cause: Lightning
MAP below:
Summary: On Saturday, crews worked to remove slash from along containment lines. Firefighters began chipping lighter fuels and transporting slash with dump trailers. An excavator was used to fill a dump truck with heavy material.
With a diminished risk of fire approaching the Willow Creek subdivision, crews also began disassembling structure protection equipment. They will complete that work today and begin returning supplies back to the regional fire cache.
Turkeyfeather Mountain, the area seeing the most fire growth recently, received a half inch of rain Saturday. The storm brought wetting rain to the entire east side of the fire. The west side received around one tenth of an inch.
Today, chipping continues along contingency containment lines. Improvements to road 119 are expected to be completed today too. A grader is now working on Bursum Road.
Initial attack resources remain available to respond to any nearby fire starts.
Weather: Today, monsoon moisture is expected to flow into the region. This marks the start of cooler temperatures, higher humidity, cloudier skies, and daily storm development over the Gila National Forest.
Safety: A Temporary Flight Restriction is in place over the Sacaton Fire. If you fly, we can't!
Closures: Ensure you have the most current order by checking the forest's alerts webpage:https://www.fs.usda.gov/r03/gila/alerts. Bursum Road/NM-159 is currently closed east of Mogollon to Willow Creek.
Evacuations: Catron County Sheriff's Office is implementing the Ready, Set, Go! method. The community of Willow Creek is in a GO! evacuation status due to the proximity of the Sacaton Fire. Residents in GO should leave immediately. For more information evacuation statuses, monitor Catron County Emergency Management on Facebook and sign up for Catron County emergency notifications at catroncounty.us.
Smoke: Smoke may be visible from surrounding communities. Air quality will vary based on fire activity, weather, and wind patterns. Residents should reduce prolonged outdoor activity when smoke is present and check the Air Quality Index before recreating or working outdoors. Sensitive groups should take extra precautions to limit smoke exposure. For real-time smoke conditions, visit fire.airnow.gov.
Fire Restrictions: The Gila National Forest is in Stage 1 Fire Restrictions due to long term severe drought in the Gila region, increased tree mortality across the forest, and forecasted hotter, drier weather conditions. Stage 1 Fire Restrictions limit campfires on forest land to designated recreation sites and campgrounds with constructed metal fire rings. Open burning is also prohibited in the unincorporated area of Catron County and in Catron County Fire District 30.
For more information:
Public Information Officer:
Incident Information:
inciweb.wildfire.gov/nmgnf-sacaton-fire
Facebook: www.facebook.com/GilaNForest
