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Active wildfires and prescribed burns near Taos right now, from the national incident map — with the alert channels that matter in an evacuation.
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Smoke on the wind has carried a question here since the Hermits Peak/Calf Canyon fire burned one county south in 2022. This page reads the national wildland fire incident map around Taos and answers it plainly — and when the smoke is a prescribed burn, it says so.
Frijoles — 38 miles southwest of town (in the Taos area). 15 more active incidents in range.
As of August 23 at 7:49 PM.
| Fire | Where | Size | Contained | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frijoles | 38 miles southwest — 3 Miles E from Cundiyo, NM | 15,226 acres | 45% | August 23 at 7:15 PM |
| Rayado Mesa | 41 miles east — 5 Miles SW from Miami, NM | 934 acres | 100% | August 11 at 7:48 PM |
| Ponchas Peak | 48 miles north | under an acre | Not reported | August 23 at 4:34 PM |
| Osha Medio | 49 miles south | 5 acres | Not reported | August 23 at 6:40 PM |
| Vista | 54 miles west | under an acre | Not reported | August 22 at 7:48 PM |
| Sanchez | 64 miles southwest | under an acre | Not reported | August 23 at 1:15 PM |
| Border | 76 miles southwest | under an acre | Not reported | August 23 at 5:03 PM |
| Post | 79 miles northeast — 7 Miles SE from Trinidad, CO | 4,343 acres | 90% | August 21 at 3:54 PM |
| Diamante | 79 miles northwest — 9 Miles E from Dulce, NM | 86 acres | 90% | August 23 at 4:44 PM |
| Librador | 85 miles southeast | 5 acres | Not reported | August 23 at 5:15 PM |
| Rodeo Road | 88 miles west | under an acre | Not reported | August 22 at 3:48 PM |
| Rio Blanco | 93 miles northwest — 10 Miles S from Pagosa Springs, CO | 1,388 acres | 100% | August 18 at 7:20 PM |
| Swiss Roll | 95 miles northwest | under an acre | Not reported | August 21 at 2:06 PM |
| Manuel Tank | 96 miles west | under an acre | Not reported | August 23 at 1:09 PM |
| Cabra Hill | 97 miles southeast | 20 acres | Not reported | August 16 at 7:28 PM |
| Estufa | 100 miles west | 2 acres | Not reported | August 23 at 6:19 PM |
The national map keeps a fire listed until it is declared out, so a fire shown at 100% contained may be winding down rather than burning.
This page is not an alert system
The Carson National Forest went to Stage 1 fire restrictions on April 24, 2026 — earlier than usual: campfires only inside Forest Service-provided fire structures at developed recreation sites, and smoking only in enclosed vehicles, buildings, developed sites, or a cleared three-foot circle. Stages can rise mid-season; the Carson NF link below is the authority. (Checked June 12, 2026.)
Land agencies set fires deliberately in cooler, wetter windows to thin the fuel a wildfire would feed on. They put real smoke in the air. This page lists them in their own section, separately from wildfires — a planned burn, not a wildfire.
The 2022 Hermits Peak/Calf Canyon fire — the largest in New Mexico history — burned one county south of here. It reset how the whole region reads a smoke column, and it is why this page exists.
Kit Carson Electric runs a wildfire-mitigation program that can shut off power deliberately during extreme wind and fire weather. If the lights go out on a windy spring day, check the co-op's updates before assuming the worst.
April through June — dry ground, hard southwest winds — is when the danger peaks. The July–August monsoon usually eases it. Drought years stretch the season at both ends.
Checked August 23 at 7:49 PM. Data: National Interagency Fire Center (WFIGS) — US federal wildland fire data, public domain. Size and containment lag the ground truth, especially in a fire’s first hours, and very new starts can take time to appear at all.
Frijoles — 38 miles southwest
in the Taos area · 15 more active incidents in range.