SFNF NEWS RELEASE
La información diaria sobre el Incendio Rio está disponible en español en la Inciweb y en la página web del Santa Fe National Forest.
Acres: 184
Start Date: June 16, 2026
Location: Mesa De La Gallina, 3 miles northeast of Chicoma Mountain
Fuels: Oak, Ponderosa, and Locust.
Containment: 0%
Personnel: 172
Cause: Lightning
Highlights: The Navajo, Santa Fe, Sawtooth, and Texas Canyon Interagency Hotshot Crews (IHCs) assigned to the Rio Fire completed handline around the entire fire perimeter on Sunday. Aerial resources continued to support firefighters on the ground by conducting targeted water drops, reducing heat and increasing line integrity.
Operations: Firefighters have transitioned to mop-up and securing the fire lines, focusing on strengthening control lines and identifying and cooling residual heat sources. Hotshot crews remain engaged, reinforcing containment lines and maintaining active surveillance of fire behavior. Interior heat persists, with large dead and downed fuels continuing to smolder, and fire-weakened locust trees exhibiting intermittent flare-ups. Crews are actively monitoring these hazards and implementing suppression actions as needed.
A large water tank called a heliwell, filled by water tenders, was set up closer to the incident for helicopters to dip water out of. This has significantly reduced helicopter turnaround times for water drops. The previous cycle between the fire and Abiquiu Reservoir has been cut in half, increasing operational tempo and overall aerial suppression effectiveness.
Dozer resources have finished improving access along Forest Service Road 31 north of the fire to the primary staging area. Additional dozers working on Forest Service Road 144 are scouting and developing a northern access route, with the objective of upgrading a preexisting dirt road to accommodate light-duty vehicle traffic. These improvements are intended to reduce travel times to the incident and improve responder safety, particularly by decreasing medical evacuation timelines. Cultural resource specialists are embedded with road crews to ensure culturally sensitive sights are not disturbed.
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 are allowed to fly in the area. Flying will force air resources to be grounded immediately. If you fly, they can’t.
Weather: It is exceptionally dry in the region with very low relative humidity statewide. The hot and dry weather continues through Tuesday. Storm coverage increases mid-week, but wetting rainfall is unlikely.
Smoke: Additional smoke monitors have arrived and will be installed over the next few days. 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 https://nmtracking.org/
Closures: No closures currently but people are asked to avoid the area and exercise extreme caution as firefighting operations are ongoing.
Fire Information: 505-273-7205 / facebook.com/santafeNF/ https://x.com/SantafeNF/ 2026.rio@firenet.gov/ nmfireinfo.com