Images
June 19, 2025 - Wildfires in New Mexico
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Extreme drought, hot temperatures, and gusting winds have set the stage for destructive wildfires in the state of New Mexico in June 2025.
The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite acquired this true-color image highlighting the largest fire, the Trout Fire, on June 17. Each red “hot spot” marks an area where the thermal sensors on the MODIS instrument detected high temperatures. When combined with typical smoke, as in this image, such hot spots are diagnostic for actively burning fires.
The Trout Fire was first reported on the morning on June 12 in the Gila Mountains north of Silver City, New Mexico. By the evening of June 18, the fire had scorched 38,682 acres, according to an incident report published by InciWeb Incident Information System. It was burning primarily in grass and tall brush and was zero percent contained, despite efforts of more than 1,000 personnel assigned to fight this fire. On June 17, the governor of New Mexico declared a state of emergency in response to the Trout Fire, which will allow additional financing to help fight this fire. More than 2,000 people have been evacuated as of June 18 and estimates of damage to buildings were not available.
North of the Trout Fire, two red hot spots can be seen tucked in the northern Gila Mountains. These mark the site of the Buck Fire, a fire that sparked from lightning on June 11. It has burnt 57,753 acres as of June 18, according to the New Mexico Fire Information website. The Buck Fire has reached 25 percent containment, although some sources state it was fully under control by June 18, with fire fighting focused on protecting property and halting any growth.
The behavior of the Buck Fire on June 18 was described as “flanking and creeping”, suggesting low growth, especially compared to the extremely active and robust Trout Fire. This MODIS image also shows the difference in size and activity between the two fires on June 17, with the Buck Fire showing much less activity and low smoke emissions than the larger Trout Fire to the south.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Aqua
Date Acquired: 6/17/2025
Resolutions:
1km (224.3 KB), 500m (608.4 KB), 250m (370.5 KB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
Extreme drought, hot temperatures, and gusting winds have set the stage for destructive wildfires in the state of New Mexico in June 2025.
The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite acquired this true-color image highlighting the largest fire, the Trout Fire, on June 17. Each red “hot spot” marks an area where the thermal sensors on the MODIS instrument detected high temperatures. When combined with typical smoke, as in this image, such hot spots are diagnostic for actively burning fires.
The Trout Fire was first reported on the morning on June 12 in the Gila Mountains north of Silver City, New Mexico. By the evening of June 18, the fire had scorched 38,682 acres, according to an incident report published by InciWeb Incident Information System. It was burning primarily in grass and tall brush and was zero percent contained, despite efforts of more than 1,000 personnel assigned to fight this fire. On June 17, the governor of New Mexico declared a state of emergency in response to the Trout Fire, which will allow additional financing to help fight this fire. More than 2,000 people have been evacuated as of June 18 and estimates of damage to buildings were not available.
North of the Trout Fire, two red hot spots can be seen tucked in the northern Gila Mountains. These mark the site of the Buck Fire, a fire that sparked from lightning on June 11. It has burnt 57,753 acres as of June 18, according to the New Mexico Fire Information website. The Buck Fire has reached 25 percent containment, although some sources state it was fully under control by June 18, with fire fighting focused on protecting property and halting any growth.
The behavior of the Buck Fire on June 18 was described as “flanking and creeping”, suggesting low growth, especially compared to the extremely active and robust Trout Fire. This MODIS image also shows the difference in size and activity between the two fires on June 17, with the Buck Fire showing much less activity and low smoke emissions than the larger Trout Fire to the south.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Aqua
Date Acquired: 6/17/2025
Resolutions:
1km (224.3 KB), 500m (608.4 KB), 250m (370.5 KB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
