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The 5 largest wildfires in New Mexico history
The Calf Canyon/Hermits Peak Fire burned more than 340,000 acres in northern New Mexico in 2022.
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The Calf Canyon/Hermits Peak Fire burned over 300,000 acres two years ago, becoming the largest fire in New Mexico history.
Here is a look at the five largest wildfires in the state's history:
1. Calf Canyon/Hermits Peak Fire
The Calf Canyon/Hermits Peak Fire burned 341,735 acres in northern New Mexico.
The fire started on April 6, 2022, and was not contained until August 2022. The Hermits Peak Fire began as an escaped prescribed burn. The Calf Canyon Fire was a holdover fire from a pile burn. The two fires merged on April 22 and were not contained until four months later.
The fire began in the Pecos/Las Vegas Ranger District of the Santa Fe National Forest and burned in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains in San Miguel, Mora and Taos counties.
2. Black Fire
The Black Fire burned 325,136 acres.
The Black Fire started on May 13, 2022, and was contained in July of that year. The Black Fire became the second-largest wildfire in state history, after the Calf Canyon/Hermits Peak Fire, which started burning just a month earlier.
The Black Fire burned in Sierra, Catron and Grant counties and according to a Forest Service update in 2023, it burned more than 90% of the Aldo Leopold Wilderness Area.
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The fire was northeast of Silver City.
3. Whitewater-Baldy
In 2012, the Whitewater-Baldy Fire burned 297,845 acres.
The Whitewater-Baldy Fire was caused by two separate lightning-strike fires. The lightning strikes were near Mogollon Baldy and in the headwaters of Whitewater Creek. The fire began in May 2012 and was contained by the end of July. The fire was located in Catron County in the Gila National Forest and on nearby private land.
At the fire's peak, 1,257 people were working to contain it, according to a Southwest Fire Science Consortium fact sheet.
Some of the largest wildfires in state history
4. Las Conchas Fire
The Las Conchas Fire burned 156,593 acres in 2011. At the time, it was the largest fire in state history.
The Las Conchas Fire was caused by a tree falling on a power line on June 26, 2011. The fire began in the Santa Fe National Forest. Much of Frijoles Canyon burned with high severity, according to a National Park Service website.
5. Silver Fire
The Silver Fire burned over 138,000 acres in 2013.
The Silver Fire began in the Gila National Forest on June 7, 2013, after lightning near Sawyers Peak ignited a forest area. The fire was located east of Silver City. The burned area included very steep and rugged terrain.
