US: New Mexico wildfires prompt evacuations

Firefighters in the US southwestern state of New Mexico struggled to control a massive wildfire on Friday, as strong winds and dry conditions made the blazes difficult to contain.

The largest fire grew to more than 117 square miles (303 square kilometers) northeast of Santa Fe, burning dangerously close to a string of mountain villages. Winds blew embers across a great distance spreading the wildfire that has already destroyed 75,000 acres (30,351 hectares) of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains since April 6.

Thousands of people in the Mora valley, some 40 miles (64 km) northeast of Santa Fe, were prepared to evacuate as smoke rose from the forest near the farming community of Ledoux.

"It looks very scary out there," incident commander Carl Schwope told a briefing. "With the rate of spread, it's very difficult for us to get any fire control."

High winds prompt evacuations

As winds were expected to push the blaze towards villages like Mora and the city of Las Vegas, authorities urged people to evacuate to the towns of Taos and Angel Fire if requested.

"We're in a very dangerous situation. Evacuation statuses are changing as we speak,'' Schwope said at a briefing in Las Vegas, a city of about 14,000 people, close to 50 miles (80 kilometers) east of Santa Fe.

Mora County sheriff's official Americk Padilla said: "It's coming, and it's here." 

As gusty winds prevented aerial attacks, resulting in a loss of previously established containment, more air and ground forces were on the way to the area. 

There were no immediate reports of new structures lost since the local sheriff confirmed Thursday night at least 166 homes have been destroyed in northeast San Miguel County.

Fires reported across the Southeast

More than 2,000 firefighters were deployed to control fires in Arizona and New Mexico on Friday, with nearly half of those in northeast New Mexico.

Similar red flag warnings for extreme fire danger were in place for nearly all of New Mexico as well as parts of Colorado, Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas.

The region has seen fires burning unusually hot and fast for this time of year, as experts warn about the impact of climate change. Some attribute the strength of the fires to some timber in the region being drier than kiln-dried wood.

see/jcg (AP, Reuters)