Albuquerque firefighters have battled fewer outside fires this winter

Albuquerque Fire Rescue said crews saw a decrease in outside fires at the tail end of 2025 compared with the previous winter.

AFR spokesperson Jason Fejer said the department doused 2,538 small outside fires — often started by the unhoused — in November and December of 2025. The total represented a 12% drop from the same timeframe in 2024, when AFR put out 2,875 such blazes.

"With winter finally here, Albuquerque Fire Rescue is seeing an increase in small warming fires in public spaces across the city. These fires pose safety risks to the community, nearby structures, and first responders," according to an AFR release shared over Facebook Friday. "For the safety of the entire community, AFR crews will extinguish any outdoor fire that is on public property, not authorized, violates city rules, or creates a hazard."

AFR released numbers showing that its Fast Attack unit — which patrols areas "with higher reports of outside fires" like East Central — also responded to fewer fires in 2025 than 2024. 

The unit put out 1,107 small fires in November and December of 2025, while the unit put out 1,582 such fires over that same time in 2024. 

AFR said in the release that the Fast Attack unit "focuses on rapid response, extinguishing fires early to prevent injuries, property damage, and escalation into larger incidents."

Fejer attributed the decrease in the unit's responses to having milder weather in 2025 — which meteorologists say was the hottest year on record for Albuquerque. 

The AFR release states that beyond putting out fires, firefighters connected those staying on the streets with resources. That includes connecting people with Albuquerque Community Safety department 1,788 times in November and December. 

Fire crews also handed out more than 3,200 cold-weather items, according to the release, such as coats, gloves, blankets and warming supplies.

This response model allows AFR to reduce immediate fire risks while supporting broader community safety and humanitarian needs, according to the AFR release.

The department asked anyone who sees a fire in public spaces "including parks, streets, alleys, sidewalks, and vacant lots" to call 911.