Located on Wilderness Ranger District

MIMBRES, NM, July 26, 2023 – Fire managers on the Wilderness Ranger District of the Gila National Forest are working a new lightning-caused fire called the Noonday Fire. The fire was reported in the evening July 22 very near the boundary between the Silver City and Wilderness Ranger District. It is approximately 366 acres and 0% contained.

The fire is situated within the 2013 Silver Fire area, on difficult terrain. Due to the location and terrain, the strategy will be to confine the fire to a pre-determined area and provide protection around structures and range infrastructure.

Resources assigned to the incident include one crew, one engine, and a hot shot crew expected later today, for a total of about 50 personnel. Crews will be assessing and reinforcing the Rabb Park trail today as the primary containment feature to keep the fire from progressing to the west toward the Mimbres Valley.

The fire weather forecast is showing the temperature in the high 90s with thunderstorms likely. Smoke is highly visible from the entire Mimbres Valley and Silver City area. Please check www.airnow.gov  for air quality information.

For more information, please visit the Gila National Forest at www.fs.usda.gov/gila  and Facebook https://www.facebook.com/GilaNForest . The fire will be added to InciWeb soon.