Fire crews are battling wildfires in both the Texas Panhandle and New Mexico, prompting evacuations and ravaging homes.
While a pair of wildfires near Amarillo have displaced residents, the Seven Cabins Wildfire in New Mexico — northeast of Ruidoso — has spread to nearly 16,000 acres as of Tuesday, May 19.
Wildfires occur in the summer and fall months, though wildfire season in western states has extended from 5 months to over 7 months in length and the number of large fires and acres burned has significantly increased over the past five decades, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
In 2026, there were 98 wildfires in the Western United States, according to data released by the USDA.
The rise in wildfires has been driven by rising temperatures, reduced winter snowpack, earlier snowmelt, reduced summer precipitation and increased evaporation, the USDA notes.
Most of New Mexico and Arizona are expected to have above-normal potential for significant wildfires in May and June 2026, while Texas is predicted to be normal, according to predictions released by the National Interagency Fire Center.
Here’s the latest on wildfires in the region and how to track incidents near you.
Wildfire map
You can track the latest wildfire and smoke information with data that is updated hourly based upon input from several incident and intelligence sources.
Wildfires in Texas Panhandle destroy homes
Residents were evacuated after high winds caused fire to spread quickly near Amarillo, where a wildfire devastated neighborhoods and destroyed multiple homes and other structures on May 18, reported the Amarillo Globe News.
The Stinky Wildfire north of Amarillo burned more than 2,500 acres since May 17, while another wildfire, Hunggate, sparked May 14 south of Canyon, burning more than 34,000 acres — that fire is 95% contained as of 10:30 a.m. MT/11:30 a.m. CT.
Seven Cabins Wildfire in New Mexico
The Seven Cabins Fire, located northeast of Ruidoso, has spread to nearly 16,000 acres and was 0% contained as of May 19, according to the U.S. Forest Service. The wildfire is linked to a deadly medical plane crash in the Capitan Mountains.
Nearly 700 fire personnel are battling the blaze, and the improving weather conditions, combined with increased ground and aviation resources, the crews are “positioned to make strong progress on incident objectives,” the Forest Service said in a May 19 update.
Natassia Paloma may be reached at npaloma@gannett.com, @NatassiaPaloma on x; natassia_paloma on Instagram, and Natassia Paloma Thompson on Facebook.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Track active wildfires as crews battle blazes in Texas, New Mexico
Reporting by Natassia Paloma, El Paso Times / El Paso Times
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
