Valencia County crews contain half-acre bosque fire near Los Lunas bridge
A half-acre bosque fire north of the Los Lunas bridge tested crews again, but firefighters stopped it before it crowned or threatened homes.
Flames on the east side of the Rio Grande, just north of the Los Lunas bridge, burned about half an acre Thursday before Valencia County and Los Lunas fire crews stopped the fire from climbing into the treetops. Crews also knocked down multiple spot fires before they could spread farther, and no evacuations were ordered because no structures were threatened.
The close call landed during an active statewide restriction period. New Mexico’s State Forester imposed fire restrictions on April 6 for non-federal, non-Tribal and non-municipal lands, banning smoking, fireworks, campfires, prescribed, open, agricultural and debris burning, along with some flaring activities, until the order is rescinded. With warm, dry weather settling in, even a small ignition in the bosque can become a public-safety problem for Los Lunas, especially near a major crossing where firefighters have to balance access, traffic and river corridor conditions.
The Thursday fire also came with a painful reminder of what can happen in this same stretch of the valley. On June 21, 2025, the Desert Willow Complex fire started in the bosque near the Main Street, also known as New Mexico Highway 6, bridge and spread on both sides of the Rio Grande. It grew to roughly 237 acres, and village materials said the Cotton I fire forced evacuations and caused loss or damage to homes in Carson Park. NM Fire Info later estimated the fire at 260 acres and identified the fuel as bosque, cottonwood and riparian invasives, with a human cause.
That history helps explain why a half-acre fire drew immediate concern. Valencia County Fire Chief Matt Propp leads a department that handles close to 7,000 calls a year and provides mutual aid to Los Lunas, Belen, Rio Communities, Peralta and Bosque Farms. In a county where the bosque is both a recreation area and a vulnerable fire corridor, Thursday’s response showed how quickly local crews can be pulled into action when dry conditions, wind and dense vegetation line up in the wrong way.
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