Southwest Area Incident Management Team
TEAM 4 – Andrew Mandell – INCIDENT COMMANDER
Report in Spanish and map and smoke outlooks at the bottom of the article
Changing weather has firefighters on high alert
Morning Update for June 17, 2025
Fire Information Phone: 575-323-8964 (8 a.m. – 8 p.m.)
Acres: 24,706 (overnight infrared flight) Start Date: June 12, 2025
Location: 12 miles north of Silver City, NM Cause: Undetermined
Personnel: 755 Fuels: Grass, brush and timber Containment: 0%
Highlights: Extreme drought conditions, combined with hot, dry temperatures, caused the Trout Fire to grow on Monday, prompting changes to evacuation levels. Crews are bracing for increased fire activity, and the public should expect the potential for additional changes to evacuation status. No structures have been lost or damaged.
Fire Activity: The Trout Fire remained active yesterday, particularly on the east and south flanks. Overnight, crews conducted firing operations to protect property and hold established firelines. Additional personnel and resources have arrived to boost suppression efforts and support both day and nighttime shifts. Firefighters are working in round-the-clock rotations to stay ahead of changing conditions.
Today, firefighters may conduct firing operations if fire activity dictates on the north and west sides of the fire, build direct handlines along the fire’s edge, reinforce dozer lines, and identify roads and natural features to serve as control lines. These tactical firing operations are used to reduce available fuels and create buffers that help protect infrastructure, homes and other values at risk. Firefighting resources are seeking opportunities to prevent additional growth along the south edge of the fire.
Aerial resources will assist with water and retardant drops as conditions allow but increasing wind and ongoing Red Flag Warnings may limit aircraft use for safety. Crews will reinforce the progress made during Monday’s operations by removing unburned fuels between control lines and the fire when it is safe to do so. These efforts help reduce the fire’s growth potential and increase protection for nearby communities and infrastructure.
Evacuations: GO (Level 3) – Zones 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6; SET (Level 2) – Zone 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12. Additional evacuation areas will be identified as conditions change. View the interactive evacuation map here. https://nifc.maps.arcgis.com/apps/instant/interactivelegend/index.html?appid=4d6aa2593621469692914966de85cfa4
The Red Cross has established an evacuation shelter at the Grant County Convention Center (3031 US-180, Silver City, NM 88061). High Desert Humane Society will accommodate pets, and the rodeo grounds at the Southwest Horseman's Association are open to receive livestock.
Weather: Temperatures remain in the 90s with extremely low humidity and wind gusts up to 35 mph prompting a Red Flag warning through Wednesday.
Closures & Fire Restrictions: The Gila National Forest has issued a closure order for the fire area https://www.fs.usda.gov/r03/gila/alerts/trout-fire-area-closure . Stage 2 Fire Restrictions are in place https://www.fs.usda.gov/r03/gila/alerts/stage-2-fire-restrictions and a Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) is in effect https://tfr.faa.gov/tfr3/?page=detail_5_3951 .
More Information:
InciWeb: https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/nmgnf-trout-fire
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GilaNForest
Email:
