Goose Fire Update
Saturday July 26, 2025
Reported date: July 9,2025 Containment: 30% Cause: Lightning/Natural Size: 3401 acres
Personnel: 115 Fuels: Timber, Brush Strategy: Full Suppression
Fire behavior: Minimal, Smoldering, Creeping
Operations: Yesterday, crews made good progress on the Goose Fire, as they addressed the remaining areas of suppression repair along Goose Lake Trail #238, Sheep Corral Trail #231, and the 282 and 4083V Forest Service roads. Firefighters also continued securing the fire perimeter and extinguishing any hot spots. A helicopter aided suppression efforts with water bucket drops throughout the day. Firing operations were conducted overnight to secure additional containment areas. Today, rehab work will continue in the same areas as yesterday with crews and heavy equipment, and a helicopter will be available for bucket drops if needed.
This will be the final update for the Goose Fire. The Albuquerque Zone Type 3 Team will turn over the management of the fire to the Gila National Forest on Monday, July 27th at 7:00 a.m. At this time, minimal heat remains and the fire will be monitored by lookouts and air resources for any signs of activity. Some firefighters have already been demobilized and begun to travel home. The remaining crews and medical support personnel will be released from the incident on Monday. A plan of action has been formed to meet the remaining containment needs by local resources. Interior smoke may be present for several weeks if hidden hotspots emerge under heat or wind. Any questions about the Goose Fire can be directed to the Gila National Forest at (575) 388-8201.
Message from Incident Commander Lino Baca, Albuquerque Zone Type 3 Team: “There has been excellent coordination between incident personnel on the ground and Forest Service leadership. We are adapting and scaling our organization to fit current response needs.”
Weather: Critical fire weather conditions are forecasted for the weekend. Dry, sunny weather is expected today with the potential for wind gusts up to 18 mph, temperatures in the upper 80’s, and relative humidity dropping to 15% by afternoon. Warm weather is again forecasted for Sunday with relative humidity values around 18% and the potential for isolated storms.
Location: 18 miles NW of Silver City, NM on the Gila National Forest. It is located east of Seep Springs, south of the Gila River and west of Sheep's Corral Canyon.
Safety: The health and safety of firefighters and the public are always the top priority. Members of the public should avoid the Goose Fire. A Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) remains in effect; please visit www.tfr.faa.gov for information specific to the Goose Fire. Unmanned aircraft such as drones pose a serious risk to firefighting and can cause air operations to cease. The public is reminded that “If you fly, we can’t!”.
Closures: Visit http://fs.usda.gov/r03/gila/alerts/goose-fire-area-closure for fire area closures along the 282 and 876 Forest Service roads. Visitors to the Gila Wilderness should be aware that the fire is burning near Goose Lake Trail #238, Monument Ridge Trail #254, and Packsaddle Trail #732.
ALERT: Highway 15 may be closed to all traffic for up to eight-hour increments due to the withdrawal of heavy equipment; the road closure interruptions will continue through Saturday at 10 p.m.
Smoke: Smoke may be more visible due to increased fire activity. For individuals sensitive to smoke please visithttps://fire.airnow.gov/.
Public Information:
Inciweb: https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-information/nmgnf-goose-fire
