Daily Update: June 9, 2026

Acres: 31860                                                                                     Start Date: May 14, 2026

Location: Capitan Mountain Wilderness                                          Cause: Human caused

Personnel: 327 personnel                                                                 Containment: 94%    

Fuels: Heavy dead fuels in the Peppin burn scar contained                                                                                                   

Highlights: The hard work and dedication of firefighters have brought containment on the 104 mile perimeter of the Seven Cabins Fire to 94%.

Operations: Today members of Pecos Zone Type 3 Incident Management Team are shadowing their Southwest Complex Incident Management Team 2 counterparts. Wednesday morning the team will take command of the fire. During and after the transition, work to complete suppression repair and initial attack will continue uninterrupted. After the type 3 team takes command, inquiries for information about the fire should be directed to Lincoln National Forest by calling their Public Affairs Officer at 575-314-1597, emailing sm.fspao.imf@usda.gov, or checking the forest webpage https://www.fs.usda.gov/r03/lincoln. In addition to the type 3 team, a Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) team has already been in place for a week and has completed their assessment. The assessment is available on the BAER team’s Inciweb page for this incident, available at https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-information/nmlnf-2026-baer-seven-cabins. The assessment indicates which parts of the burn area require immediate treatment to protect life, property and critical natural and cultural resources. The BAER process, which can take years, seeks to rehabilitate land that is unlikely to recover naturally from the fire.

Weather: Today will be mostly sunny and warm with a high in the upper 80s. A south wind will be moderate. The afternoon may bring isolated showers or thunderstorms. The chance of precipitation is 20%.

Smoke: With limited smoldering within the fire’s perimeter, no meaningful impacts to air quality are expected outside the immediate area of the fire. All sites will have good air quality. For air quality information, please check local conditions at Fire.AirNow.gov.

Closures and Warnings: A forest closure is in effect across the Capitan Mountain area, extending east and south of Highway 246 to the Forest Service boundary and continuing south to Forest Service Road 57. Baca campground is included in the closure. Stage 1 fire restrictions also remain in effect. The State of New Mexico has issued fire restrictions for all non-federal, non-tribal, non-municipal areas. A Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) is in place over the fire to ensure safe access for firefighting aircraft. If a non-fire aircraft enters the restricted airspace, all firefighting aircraft must be grounded to ensure safety. Remember “If You Fly, We Can’t.”

Forest Closure Order: (https://www.fs.usda.gov/r03/lincoln/alerts/order-03-08-01-26-001-seven-cabins-fire-closure) Forest Fire Restrictions: (https://www.fs.usda.gov/r03/lincoln/alerts/order-03-08-26-001-stage-1-fire-restrictions) New Mexico Fire Restrictions: https://www.emnrd.nm.gov/sfd/find-current-fire-restrictions/

Evacuations: There are no evacuation orders associated with this fire at this time. For more information or to sign up for alerts, visit (https://www.lincolncountynm.gov/services/fire___emergency_services/index.php).

Safety: Despite recent rains, the southwest remains in serious drought conditions. By following guidelines to keep your property safe, you help protect lives and property of your neighbors as well as your own. For information on the Firewise program, visit https://www.nfpa.org/education-and-research/wildfire/firewise-usa. Crews, heavy equipment, and machinery remain active in and around the incident. The safety of firefighters and the public is our highest priority, and we ask everyone to stay aware of ongoing operations. Fire personnel continue working along area road systems, and increased caution from the public helps keep both firefighters and community members safe.

Phone Number: 505-217-0120 (7a.m. – 7p.m.)              

Email: 2026.SevenCabins@firenet.gov            

Inciweb: https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-information/nmlnf-seven-cabins-fire

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SevenCabinsFire/

Grant’s Monday Night Forecast

Parts of New Mexico will see a chance for rain and thunderstorms through Tuesday before hotter and drier weather moves in. Temperatures will continue climbing, bringing some of the hottest weather so far this year.

Spotty showers and thunderstorms brought gusty winds, blowing dust, lightning, and brief downpours to parts of New Mexico Monday afternoon. Temperatures were also hot, with highs reaching the 80s, 90s, and triple digits. Spotty showers will continue moving north parts of New Mexico and the Rio Grande Valley overnight. A few showers could still be around Tuesday morning, including in the Albuquerque metro area.

Additional isolated to scattered thunderstorms will develop Tuesday afternoon and drift north across the state. Storms will again be capable of gusty winds, blowing dust, lightning, and brief downpours. A few stronger storms may develop near Tucumcari and Clayton, where large hail will be possible. Windy conditions will keep the fire danger elevated around the Four Corners, while temperatures climb even higher than Monday.

Drier air moves in Wednesday, bringing an end to rain chances statewide and increasing fire danger across much of New Mexico. Temperatures will continue heating up, with more communities reaching the 90s and 100s. The heat sticks around Thursday, although winds will be lighter.

The pattern becomes more active again Friday as moisture returns to the state. High temperatures will remain very hot, but showers and thunderstorms will develop Friday afternoon along and east of the Rio Grande Valley. Hit-or-miss storms and hot temperatures are expected to continue through the weekend.