- State bans smoking, campfires, and fireworks.
- Dry conditions mirror record wildfire year.
- Wildfires already far above recent averages.
- Officials ramp up firefighting resources.
Wednesday, April 8, 2026 — New Mexico officials have imposed sweeping statewide fire restrictions amid an unusually hot and dry spring that is raising wildfire risk, according to reporting by Source New Mexico
. The order bans activities such as smoking, campfires, fireworks, agricultural burning, and gas flaring on state lands, with limited exceptions allowed under certain conditions. New Mexico’s State Forester Laura McCarthy reported that 288 wildfires have already occurred this year, more than double the recent average, and warned that snowpack levels are even lower than during the state’s worst fire season on record. In response, the state is hiring additional firefighters and positioning equipment in high-risk areas. The restrictions apply to state lands and coincide with similar measures from counties and federal agencies, though they do not extend to municipal, tribal, or federal lands directly.
Source New Mexico’s article is published below under the Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0:
New Mexico enacts sweeping statewide fire restrictions to prevent wildfires.
by Danielle Prokop, Source New Mexico
April 6, 2026
New Mexico forestry officials on Monday announced sweeping statewide fire restrictions to prevent wildfires during the state’s unseasonably hot and dry spring.
on a case-by-case basis if weather or other conditions are met, according to a news release.The order will remain in place until officials at the state’s Energy Minerals and Natural Resources Department cancel the ban following improved conditions and lower wildfire danger.
New Mexico State Forester Laura McCarthy told Source NM 2026 is already a severe fire season, with 288 wildfires recorded in the first three months, more than double the average 136 fires recorded over the same period, for the last five years. She said the dry conditions and state of vegetation compares to the year of the state’s most devastating fire on record.
“The snow pack is worse than it was in 2022; it was bad then, but it wasn’t this bad,” McCarthy said.
The state is working to hire additional firefighters, she said, with 180 applicants so far.
“We are preparing for an extraordinary wildfire season, with fire engines that are appropriate for wildland fire response already positioned around the state,” she said.
While the state’s order does not affect municipal, federal or tribal lands, it overlaps with recent fire restrictions adopted by counties and federal agencies.
County officials in Rio Arriba, Guadalupe and Catron have issued fire bans within their borders. Last week, the U.S. Forest Service issued higher-level fire restrictions in the Cibola National Forest and Grasslands, which limit vehicles and machinery uses along with open flames.
Lower level fire restrictions are in place for the Santa Fe National Forest and Lincoln National Forest, which only allow campfires in specific stone-lined rings at campsites and ban smoking.
Source New Mexico is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Source New Mexico maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Julia Goldberg for questions: info@sourcenm.com.
