Sparks Fire (New Mexico)

Contained · 100% contained · 6,000 acres · started 2026-04-28 · updated 2026-09-03

Sparks Fire (New Mexico) — Sentinel-2 SWIR (fuego)

True color Fire (SWIR)

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True color (left): as the eye sees it.
Infrared / SWIR (right): sees through smoke.

🟢 green = vegetation
🟤 red/brown = burned
🟠 orange = active fire

Imagery: Sentinel-2 (Copernicus). Drag to compare smoke vs. infrared.

Heat detections: NASA FIRMS (last 48h).

Quick facts

Location: 20 Miles SW from TUCUMCARI, NM
Personnel: 33
Complexity: Type 3 Incident
Fuel: Tall Grass (2.5 feet)
Behavior: Minimal, Spotting
Jurisdiction: Private land

Burning for 128 days since its start on April 28, 2026, the Sparks Fire has grown to cover 6,000 acres of private land primarily fueled by 2.5-foot-tall grass in Quay County, New Mexico. Located 20 miles southwest of Tucumcari near Jordan, the incident has averaged approximately 47 acres of growth per day. Despite its long duration and spread, the fire is currently fully contained at 100 percent, exhibiting minimal fire behavior with some spotting.

Operations to monitor and secure the incident involve 33 personnel managed under a Type 4 Incident Commander, within the framework of a Type 3 Incident complexity, accumulating a total cost of $200,000. While this local event winds down, the broader national landscape shows 3,172,718 hectares burned so far in 2026, marking a figure that is 42% below the two-decade average, even as the region's typical fire season spans from June to October.

In context

This wildfire has been burning in New Mexico for 131 days. So far it has affected roughly 6,000 acres — about 24 km². The perimeter is 100% contained.

In the Northern Hemisphere, wildfire activity usually peaks during the warm, dry months — roughly May through October.