A wildfire that ignited Monday, March 23, has burned more than 900 hectares in and around Sierra de San Pedro Mártir National Park, roughly 130 kilometers southeast of Ensenada. As of Wednesday, March 26, firefighters reported 70% containment and 50% extinguishment, but the remote, mountainous terrain continues to slow ground crews.
300 Hectares of Protected Forest Destroyed
The Ensenada Fire Department confirmed that 300 of the 900 burned hectares fall within the park’s protected natural area, home to Jeffrey pine and mixed conifer forests found nowhere else on the Baja California peninsula. The remaining 600 hectares burned in surrounding terrain outside the park’s formal boundaries.
The park sits at elevations above 2,500 meters between Ensenada and San Quintín along the Transpeninsular Highway. It also houses Mexico’s National Astronomical Observatory and is one of Baja California’s most popular backcountry camping destinations. Access to the park is currently restricted while firefighting operations continue.
CONAFOR Aerial Survey Planned for Thursday
CONAFOR (Mexico’s National Forestry Commission) scheduled an aerial reconnaissance flight for Thursday, March 27, in coordination with Mexico’s Navy. The overflight will assess the fire’s full scope and help crews plan their next moves in areas too rugged to reach on foot.
The Ensenada Fire Department’s forestry division completed a ground reconnaissance survey on Wednesday, March 25. Still, steep canyons and dense chaparral have limited what ground teams can accomplish without air support.
San Pedro Mártir has a documented history of large wildfires. In August 2025, a complex of four fire fronts burned nearly 950 hectares inside the same park, prompting a similar closure. A 2016 study published in Fire Ecology found that most major blazes in the park start outside its boundaries or in lower-elevation chaparral before spreading into higher-altitude conifer forests under severe fire weather conditions.
Authorities urged residents to avoid any activity that could generate sparks in forested areas during the current spring fire season. CONAFOR’s aerial survey results are expected to be released later this week, according to La Jornada Baja California.