Acres: 100
Location: 18 miles NE of Glenwood, NM
Containment: 0
Cause: Unknown
GLENWOOD, N.M., Nov. 14– The Gila National Forest is responding to a wildfire on the western edge of the Gila Wilderness. The Blue Fire is approximately 100 acres and is located south of the community of Willow Creek and north of the Whitewater Baldy Trail #172. The fire is burning within the Whitewater Baldy Complex fire scar west of the 2025 Turkeyfeather Fire in very steep, rugged, and inaccessible terrain in the Gila Wilderness.
The fire is creeping and smoldering in an area with a high density of snags, oak brush, and locust. An unmanned aircraft system (UAS) module will be providing aerial reconnaissance. Firefighter safety is of the highest concern in this area, which has a high density of snags and long evacuation times in case of injury.
Weather over the fire area is expected to be cool and dry for the next several days, with highs in the low 60s and lows in the low 30s through Saturday, November 15. Precipitation is predicted to begin on Sunday through early next week. These conditions should help limit fire growth.
Smoke may be visible from Snow Lake, Negrito, Willow Creek and US Highway 180.
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.
