SFNF NEWS RELEASE
Acres: 128 Fuels: Oak brush, Ponderosa Pine
Start Date: June 16, 2026 Containment: 0%
Resources: 70
Location: Mesa De La Gallina, 3 miles northeast of Chicoma Mountain
Highlights: The Rio Fire, located in the Espanola Ranger District, is burning in steep terrain with heavy fuel loads. Tuesday and Wednesday, multiple aircraft—including Type 1 helicopters, Air Attack, and air tankers—cycled between the fire and refueling locations such as Santa Fe, Los Alamos, Española, and Abiquiu Lake.
Location: Mesa De La Gallina, 3 miles northeast of Chicoma Mountain
Operations: Yesterday, helicopters conducted extensive bucket operations from multiple dip sites including Abiquiu Lake, supporting a full suppression strategy. Three hotshot crews are assigned to the fire. Today, one crew will work to identify holding features and access points on the northern edge of the fire while the other two crews will work to establish line on the southern edge. There are private inholdings as well as range and communication infrastructure within the fire area. Landowners have been notified, and no evacuations are in place.
Operational complexity increased on June 17 prompting an order for the Northern New Mexico Type 3 Incident Management Team (IMT) under Incident Commander Luke McLarty. The IMT was briefed by the Santa Fe National Forest this morning and will take command of the Rio Fire on Friday, June 19 at 6 a.m. The fire remains active and today, fire crews are focused on line construction and scouting access points and holding features.
Safety: The primary objective for the Rio Fire is firefighter and public safety. A Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) is in place in the area to keep the area clear for responding aircraft. No drones or aircraft will be allowed to fly in the area. Flying will force air resources to be grounded immediately. If you fly, they can’t.
Weather: Westerly to northwesterly winds will be lighter today, though occasional breezy conditions are expected this afternoon. A slight chance of an isolated shower exists southeast of the fire area near Los Alamos, with moisture increasing tonight and providing good overnight humidity recovery into Friday morning. Another isolated shower or thunderstorm is possible Friday afternoon, but overall conditions are expected to remain dry. Temperatures will range from 82–86°F with minimum humidity between 11–15% and west winds of 5–7 mph. Looking ahead, stronger west to northwest winds and dry conditions are expected Saturday, bringing elevated to briefly critical fire weather conditions.
Smoke: Smoke is visible from Taos, Espanola, Abiquiu, Santa Fe, and Los Alamos County. View an interactive smoke map at https://fire.airnow.gov/. Learn more about smoke impacts at nmtracking.
Closures: There are no closures currently, but people are asked to avoid the area and exercise extreme caution as firefighting operations are ongoing.
Fire Information:
505-607-0879 / facebook.com/santafeNF/ clau