Brush Fire

199339,415 acresNew Mexico

The Brush Fire burned 39,415 acres, about 62 square miles, across 2 counties. It began on May 14, 1993.

Watch how it happened

Brush Fire · 1993

How it happened

See how severely each place burned, revealed outward from where it started.

About this replay
IgnitionMay 14, 1993Historical replay — order not recorded
Final area39,415 ac
Revealed—
Counties2

How severely it burned

Burn severity inside the final perimeter, classified from Landsat images taken before and after the fire.

Map of burn severity across the Brush Fire
Burn severity by class
SeverityShareAcres
Highmost vegetation consumed, soils altered3.6%1,426
Moderatemixed: many trees killed, some survive13%5,130
Lowsurface fire, most trees survive39%15,382
Unburned to lowislands inside the perimeter, little change44%17,351
Increased greennessvegetation greener after the fire than before0.3%126

4% of the area inside the perimeter burned at high severity, about 1,426 acres; 17% burned at moderate or high severity.

Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity (U.S. Geological Survey and USDA Forest Service). Classes come from the change in a Landsat burn index (dNBR) between images before and after the fire; acres are each class’s share of the fire’s mapped area.

Where it burned

Acres inside each county, measured from the satellite-mapped perimeter.

Acres burned by county
Catron CountyNM26,331
Grant CountyNM13,017

Other large fires in New Mexico in 1993

Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity (USGS and U.S. Forest Service). Type recorded: Wildfire.