Two of the largest wildfires in New Mexico history are burning right now. Here's a look at the 10 largest.

NEW MEXICO - Wildfires are nothing new to New Mexico, especially with the five national forests located in the state. Fires are expected, but this year the fire season started early and has already produced two record-breaking wildfires.

There are at least three wildfires currently burning in New Mexico, but clean-up on several other highly damaging fires has been underway in Lincoln County for weeks now.

The Calf Canyon-Hermits Peak Fire burning in northern New Mexico on the Santa Fe National Forest gained national attention this month as it is currently the largest wildfire burning in North America. On May 16, the fire became the largest in the state’s recent history.

A firefighter looks at the Hermits Peak-Calf Canyon fire on a recent night. The prescribed burn that escaped has echoes of the Cerro Grande, which in 2000 became a cautionary tale in a new prescribed burn regime.
A firefighter looks at the Hermits Peak-Calf Canyon fire on a recent night. The prescribed burn that escaped has echoes of the Cerro Grande, which in 2000 became a cautionary tale in a new prescribed burn regime.

It started as the Las Dispensas prescribed fire, but winds and dry conditions led to the fire jumping its containment lines. The Calf Canyon and Hermits Peak fires grew exponentially and ended up combining in late April. Residents of five New Mexico counties have been directly affected by the fire, and multiple others have experienced smoke coming from the blaze.

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Farther south, the Black Fire started May 13 from human causes in the Gila National Forest. The rate of growth on this fire has far exceeded the Calf Canyon-Hermits Peak Fire and has the potential for more significant growth. While not as large as its northern counterpart, the Black Fire officially became the third-largest wildfire in New Mexico’s history May 25.

The Hermits Peak-Calf Canyon fire burns on a recent night. The fire is now the biggest in New Mexico's history.
The Hermits Peak-Calf Canyon fire burns on a recent night. The fire is now the biggest in New Mexico's history.

According to the U.S. Forest Service, the 2012 Whitewater-Baldy Fire in the Gila was previously the largest wildfire to burn in the state. The 2011 Las Conchas Fire in the Santa Fe National Forest was the second largest, followed by the Silver Fire that burned in the Gila in 2013.

Here is a list of the largest wildfires to burn in New Mexico since 1990 (acres burned as of Thursday, May 26, 2022):

  1. Calf Canyon-Hermits Peak (Santa Fe National Forest 2022) 312,057 acres

  2. Whitewater-Baldy (Gila National Forest 2012) 297,845 acres

  3. Black (Gila NF 2022) 179,593 acres

  4. Las Conchas (Santa Fe National Forest 2011) 156,593 acres

  5. Silver (Gila National Forest 2013) 138,546 acres

  6. Donaldson (Lincoln National Forest 2011) 101,563 acres

  7. Dry Lakes (Gila National Forest 2003) 94,580 acres

  8. Pasco (private land 2009) 93,029 acres

  9. McDonald (Lea County 2006) 92,390 acres

  10. Ponil Complex (Colfax County 2002) 92,194 acres

  11. Johnson (Gila National Forest 2021) 88,918 acres

  12. Miller (Gila National Forest 2011) 88,835 acres

  13. Black Range Complex (Gila National Forest 2005) 80,502 acres

More wildfire coverage:

Leah Romero is the trending reporter at the Las Cruces Sun-News and can be reached at 575-418-3442, LRomero@lcsun-news.com or @rromero_leah on Twitter.

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This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: Wildfire history: Two of New Mexico's worst wildfires currently burning