In 2025, fire departments serving Otero County responded to 522 fire and hazmat incidents — including a single $301K property loss. FEMA NRI rates wildfire risk here as Very High.
Unauthorized burning lead by count. Top five categories make up about 53% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Dec dips.
2,929 incidents from 2021 through 2025.
| Year | Incidents | |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 574 | |
| 2022 | 560 | |
| 2023 | 620 | |
| 2024 | 653 | |
| 2025 | 522 |
For the 68 building fires departments responded to in 2025, here's how investigators classified them.
Largest single-incident property losses in Otero County during 2025. These 10 fires alone account for 82% of the county's total.
| # | Property loss | City | Type | Severity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $301,000 | High Rolls | Building fires | Major |
| 2 | $164,600 | Alamogordo | Building fires | Significant |
| 3 | $75,000 | Alamogordo | Building fires | Significant |
| 4 | $50,000 | Alamogordo | Building fires | Significant |
| 5 | $50,000 | Alamogordo | Building fires | Significant |
| 6 | $40,000 | Alamogordo | Building fires | Significant |
| 7 | $40,000 | Alamogordo | Building fires | Significant |
| 8 | $40,000 | Alamogordo | Building fires | Significant |
| 9 | $30,000 | Alamogordo | Fire in mobile home used as fixed residence | Significant |
| 10 | $27,000 | Alamogordo | Mobile property (vehicle) fire, other | Significant |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples.
12 cities mapped to FIPS 35035.
| City | Population | |
|---|---|---|
| Alamogordo | 30,996 | View › |
| Holloman AFB | 4,182 | View › |
| Tularosa | 2,590 | View › |
| Boles Acres | 2,137 | View › |
| La Luz | 1,858 | View › |
| High Rolls | 1,611 | View › |
| Mescalero | 891 | View › |
| Cloudcroft | 862 | View › |
| Twin Forks | 237 | View › |
| Bent | 186 | View › |
| Timberon | 116 | View › |
| Weed | 88 | View › |
7 departments report from this county.
Top 10 fire perimeters by acres burned (state-scoped fallback while we build out per-county polygons).
| # | Name | Year | Agency | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hermits Peak | 2022 | USFS | 341,734 |
| 2 | Black | 2022 | USFS | 325,135 |
| 3 | Calf Canyon | 2022 | USFS | 299,792 |
| 4 | Las Conchas | 2011 | NPS | 156,989 |
| 5 | Donaldson | 2011 | USFS | 96,129 |
| 6 | Johnson | 2021 | USFS | 94,786 |
| 7 | Miller | 2011 | USFS | 88,880 |
| 8 | Miller | 2011 | NPS | 88,817 |
| 9 | Ponil | 2002 | USFS | 86,557 |
| 10 | Pass | 2023 | USFS | 59,934 |
County-level NFIRS aggregates for 2025, plus 5-year totals across 2021–2025. NFIRS is voluntary — about 23,000 of roughly 30,000 US fire departments report — so totals are a strong indicator, not a complete census. Wildfire risk score (0–100) and Expected Annual Loss come from FEMA's National Risk Index. Drought class is the most recent USDM classification (D0 = abnormally dry through D4 = exceptional drought). Historical fire perimeters are sourced from the NIFC InterAgency Fire Perimeter History.