New Mexico Fire Restrictions Take Effect, Banning Open Flames Statewide

Acting New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department Secretary Erin Taylor signed a statewide fire restrictions order April 6, immediately prohibiting open flames, campfires, fireworks, agricultural burns and oil and gas flaring on all non-municipal lands across the state, covering rangelands and other parcels commonly used by San Juan County residents.

The order, issued through the department's Forestry Division, cited unseasonably warm temperatures, low humidity, high winds and abundant dry fuels as the conditions driving the early-season action. Statewide restrictions of this scope have historically been reserved for mid-to-late summer; this year's low snowpack pushed officials to act months ahead of schedule.

Nine out of 10 wildfires in New Mexico are caused by people, according to the Forestry Division. "Fire restrictions are about individual actions that protect our communities as a whole," the agency said in issuing the order.

For San Juan County, the practical reach is broad. Backyard bonfires on non-municipal land, springtime agricultural burns and certain oilfield flaring operations tied to oil and gas production are now prohibited unless a documented exception is issued. Operators and landowners who rely on those activities must contact EMNRD or their land manager before proceeding; exceptions are available in narrowly defined circumstances for operations that can demonstrate appropriate mitigation.

The state order runs concurrently with county- and federally-imposed restrictions in some areas, a layer of overlap that officials acknowledged can create confusion. Recreationists, producers and land managers were directed to consult the Forestry Division's real-time interactive map to confirm whether a specific activity or location falls under the state order or a separate restriction. The order remains in effect until formally rescinded.