Linch Fire

199327,558 acresNew Mexico

The Linch Fire burned 27,558 acres, about 43 square miles, across Hidalgo County. It began on June 9, 1993.

Watch how it happened

Linch Fire · 1993

How it happened

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

About this replay
IgnitionJune 9, 1993Historical replay — order not recorded
Final area27,558 ac
Revealed—
Counties1

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 Linch Fire
Burn severity by class
SeverityShareAcres
Highmost vegetation consumed, soils altered7.5%2,076
Moderatemixed: many trees killed, some survive58%16,088
Lowsurface fire, most trees survive25%6,783
Unburned to lowislands inside the perimeter, little change9.5%2,609

8% of the area inside the perimeter burned at high severity, about 2,076 acres; 66% 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
Hidalgo CountyNM27,546

Other large fires in New Mexico in 1993

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