Turkeyfeather Wildfire Update July 15, 2025

 Acres: 22,286                 Start Date: Monday, June 30, 2025                Location: 22 miles SE of Reserve, NM 

Personnel: 91               Containment: 19%                         Cause: Lightning/Natural

Summary: The Turkeyfeather Wildfire had moderate behavior on Monday, with backing, flanking and creeping activity. The fire continues to burn through previous fire scars with downed fuels, consuming forest duff and heavies which have accumulated on the forest floor.

Firefighters are closely monitoring the fire spread to the southwest, towards Willow Creek subdivision, to assess whether they need to conduct firing operations in the area.  Crews continue to conduct firing operations along the 28 Road from the slash pit road down to Gilita Creek. Crews were able to build and enforce containment lines around two spot fires that were a combined total of 125 acres. Firefighters in this area also used equipment to strengthen the lines and to address dangerous snags. Snags remain one of the biggest hazards for the firefighting crews.

The fire in the southwest corner continues to slowly back into Iron Creek near the trail junction from Iron Lake. Firefighters are closely monitoring the area and evaluating whether any action is necessary. The fire received trace amounts of precipitation. Near the Willow Creek subdivision, the area received around a tenth of an inch of rain.

On Monday, July 14, 2025, at 5:00 pm, the Gila National Forest in-briefed the Gila Las Cruces Zone Type 3 Team in Reserve, New Mexico. The Gila Las Cruces Zone Type 3 Team will assume command of the Turkeyfeather Wildfire at 6:00 pm on July 15th.

Weather: Monday brought warmer temperatures and low relative humidity values, with light precipitation in the afternoon. Thunderstorms with winds and lightning are predicated daily in the coming week for the fire area.

Smoke: Local air quality is moderate to good with hazy skies and light smoke. For local reports: https://fire.airnow.gov/

Safety: Please remain vigilant and travel cautiously as moderate fire traffic remains active in the travel corridor of the Mimbres Valley.

Closures and Fire Restrictions: 

Gila National Forest Closures and Alerts: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r03/gila/alerts

More Incident Information: 

Inciweb: Nmgnf 2025Turkeyfeathergnf Information | InciWeb

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Public Information Phone: 575-342-1883 (8am – 8pm)