No longer in the daily fire updates. The Sunset Fire last appeared in an official report on September 2, 2026, at 145 acres and 80% contained. Fires drop off this list once crews have them contained or out; we keep the page for reference. See fires burning now →

Sunset Fire

Lincoln County, New Mexico · Wildfire

No longer active Official numbers updated Sep 2, 2026 (14 days ago)
First reported about 4 weeks ago
Metric Now
Size
145 acres
Sep 16, 4:00 AM
+44 acres
was 101 acres · Aug 28, 4:00 PM
Containment
80%
Sep 16, 4:00 AM
+18 percent
was 62% · Sep 2, 3:00 PM
Crew size
6
Sep 16, 4:00 AM
−6
was 12 · Sep 2, 3:00 PM
Money spent
$815,000
Sep 16, 4:00 AM
+$40,000
was $775,000 · Sep 2, 3:00 PM

Sunset Fire and other nearby fires

🔥 Where this fire started Mostly contained Partly contained Containment not reported

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Sunset Fire summary

The Sunset Fire is a wildfire near Lincoln County, New Mexico. It has burned about 145 acres (about 110 football fields). Crews have boxed in 80% of its edge; the other 20% isn't contained yet. It was first reported about 4 weeks ago. About 6 people are on it, run by a Type 4 IC.

Size
145 acres
Containment
80%
Discovered
August 19, 2026 (first reported about 4 weeks ago)
Cause
Not reported

The size and containment above are current as of Tuesday, September 8th at 3:00 p.m. CDT.

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Weather & fire-spread conditions

No Red Flag Warning. The National Weather Service hasn't flagged this area for dangerous fire-spread conditions right now.

Hot, dry, and windy weather can help a fire grow; cool, calm, or wet weather helps crews. The tags below rate each day for fire spread — green is calm, red can push a fire.

A general fire-weather guide (wind matters most, then how dry it is, then heat), not a prediction of what this fire will do.

This Afternoon

99°F · Sunny

Wind 10 to 15 mph SE · 0% chance of rain

Wind: Breezy Heat: Hot Dry

Tonight

75°F · Mostly Clear

Wind 10 to 15 mph SE · 1% chance of rain

Wind: Breezy Heat: Warm Dry

Wednesday

100°F · Sunny

Wind 10 mph SE · 1% chance of rain

Wind: Breezy Heat: Very hot Dry

Wednesday Night

74°F · Mostly Clear

Wind 5 to 15 mph SE · 8% chance of rain

Wind: Breezy Heat: Cool Dry

Thursday

99°F · Sunny

Wind 5 to 10 mph SE · 12% chance of rain

Wind: Breezy Heat: Hot Dry

Forecast from the National Weather Service (weather.gov), pulled Tuesday, September 8th at 3:02 p.m. CDT.

Who's on it

About 6 people are assigned to this fire, run by a Type 4 IC. The government rates it a Type 3 Incident. About $815,000 has been spent on it so far.

The official feed reports the total headcount, not a breakdown by crew type.

Where to get live updates

We show the daily official picture. For minute-by-minute updates, evacuation orders, and maps, these do it best:

Nearby fires to Sunset Fire

No other active fires are near this one right now. It's on its own.

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