Wildfire reported in Gila Wilderness
Reserve, NM, May 4, 2025—The Gila National Forest and Wilderness Ranger District are responding to the Iron Fire, reported about noon today in the Iron Mesa area of the Gila Wilderness. Driven by strong winds, the Iron Fire has grown quickly to 901 acres.
The safety of firefighters and the public are the highest values and priority for protection. Other values at risk include the Willow Creek community, recreational facilities, and threatened or endangered wildlife species. Iron Fire is located within the Whitewater Baldy burn scar and is burning in grass, heavy dead and down fuel, and timber. An evacuation has been ordered for Snow Lake.
[For clarification, no evacuation order has been issued for any residences. Only recreational facilities at Snow Lake (Dipping Vat Campground, Snow Lake Boat Launch, and Snow Lake Trailhead) have been evacuated.]
Responding resources include a Type 1 and Type 3 Helicopter, two Type 6 engines, the Gila Hotshots, and Idaho City Hotshots. Two additional Hotshot crews have been ordered, as well as an additional four Type 6 engines. The Southwest Area Type 3 Incident Management Team has been ordered to take over management of the wildfire incident on Tuesday morning. A Type 3 helicopter was dipping at Snow Lake today, but strong winds are limiting the ability to use air resources.
A Red Flag Warning remains in effect for the area until 9:00 p.m. Sunday, May 4 due to dry conditions and strong winds gusting to 40 miles per hour. Decreased winds, combined with cool temperatures, increased relative humidity, cloud cover, and possible rain showers are expected over the next few days. For more information visit InciWeb - Iron Fire.
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.
For more information, visit: https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-information/nmgnf-iron-fire
