El Paso’s “Strawberry Sunset” Made From New Mexico Wildfire Smoke

If you looked up Tuesday evening and thought, “Is the sky trying to seduce me?” you weren’t alone. El Pasoans were treated to one of the most stunning, surreal sunsets of the year. A cotton-candy horizon bled into a glowing red moon that hung over the desert like a cosmic omen. Social media lit up with pictures of what people called a “strawberry sky,” “apocalyptic peach,” and even “moon salsa.”

But no, this wasn’t some celestial love letter. It was smoke. Thick, drifting smoke from two massive wildfires currently raging out of control in New Mexico.

Where the Smoke Is Coming From: Trout and Seven Springs Fires

The stunning haze you saw in the sky came courtesy of the Trout Fire in Grant County and the Seven Springs Fire in Lincoln County. Both are torching the New Mexico landscape with 0% containment as of Tuesday night.

The Trout Fire started on June 12 and has now scorched over 24,700 acres about 12 miles north of Silver City. It’s burning through grass, brush, and timber. Over 875 personnel are currently battling the blaze. Evacuation orders have been issued for at least a dozen communities, including areas around the Gila Cliff Dwellings and Lake Roberts.

Meanwhile, the Seven Springs Fire is smaller in size but still serious. It has burned 350 acres and is spreading fast between Mescalero and Cloudcroft. Four evacuation zones are in “Go!” status, and more areas are on “Ready” alert.

So yes, that rosy light wrapping El Paso in a dreamy filter? It’s wildfire smoke drifting in from our neighbors to the north.

Why the Sky Looks Like a Filtered Instagram Post

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A post shared by FitFam El Paso (@therealfitfamelpaso)

What you saw Tuesday is what happens when smoke particles scatter sunlight at just the right angle. The more particles in the air — like ash, soot, and wildfire debris — the more vibrant the reds, oranges, and pinks get. At sunset, when the sun is lower on the horizon, that effect gets magnified. The moon reflecting through that same haze? That’s how we get that eerie crimson glow.

It’s science. Beautiful, haunting, vaguely doomsday-ish science.

A Moment to Breathe, A Reason to Care

While El Paso got the visual poetry of it all, folks in New Mexico are living the real consequences. They’re evacuating homes, breathing in smoke, and praying for containment. If you've got friends or family up north, now's the time to check in. And if you’re the praying kind, it’s a good night to start.

Until then, keep enjoying the view, and maybe appreciate just how fragile and interconnected our desert skies really are.