Northern New Mexico Type 3 Team ordered
Santa Fe, NM, June 17, 2026 —The Rio Fire located in the Espanola Ranger District on Mesa De La Gallina three miles northeast of Chicoma Mountain has grown to 128 acres. Red flag conditions, heavy dead-and-down fuels and limited safe access to the fire contributed to the fire’s growth. Today, crews focused on building safe access to suppress the fire. Additional personnel have been ordered including a Type 1 Interagency Handcrew (hotshot crew), Rapid Extraction Module, and a short haul capable helicopter. Aerial resources such as the Type 1 helicopter and air tankers have been working all day on the fire dropping water and retardant to reduce fire growth. Two large air tankers have been ordered to the fire in addition to scooper planes. Values at risk include private property inholdings north of the fire. Smoke from the Rio Fire may be visible from Santa Fe, Los Alamos, Espanola and the surrounding communities.
Due to the complexity of the fire the Northern New Mexico Type 3 Incident Management Team has been ordered to take command of the fire. The team will in brief with the Santa Fe National Forest at 10:00 am tomorrow.
Fire information is available on the Santa Fe National Forest website, Inciweb, NM Fire Information, and social media pages (Facebook and X).
About the Forest Service: The Forest Service has brought people and communities together to answer the call of conservation for more than 100 years. Grounded in world-class science and technology — and rooted in communities — the Forest Service connects people to nature and recreation opportunities. The agency manages 193 million acres of public land, supports the nation’s forest industry and energy needs, and operates the largest and most respected wildland fire and forestry research organizations in the world. By providing assistance to state and private landowners and working with tribes and other partners, the Forest Service also helps steward an additional 900 million forested acres within the U.S.
