On April 6, a Wildfire started and on Saturday it merged with the new fire, creating the second-largest in the state. It had spread to more than 66 square miles, which led to the evacuation of Mora and San Miguel.
The other fire, which started on April 17, is spread across at least 76 miles, which is 197 km in an unincorporated community area in Mora County.
Current Situations
The fire officials of New Mexico were expecting that the fire would slow by Sunday as clouds and smoke moved to retain moisture in the forest. But it was added that the interior of the fire could show some moderate to extreme behavior, threatening the structures of the area.
The New Mexico Governor said 200 or more structures have been destroyed in the fire, while around 900 or more are under threat.
According to the fire officials, it is difficult to get exact damage as it is too hard for the crew to go in and check all the infrastructure there.
The Operation Section chief Jayson coil said, “We don’t know the magnitude of the structure loss. We even don’t know the areas where the most homes made it through the fire, where homes haven’t been damaged or anything like that.”
Lujan Grisham said that she has asked for the resources and to ban fireworks in the state.
She added, “We need more federal bodies for firefighting, fire mitigation, public safety, and support on the ground in New Mexico.” Adding, “it’s going to be a tough summer.” So that’s why we are banning fires. And that is why on Monday I will be asking every local government to think about ways to ban the sale of fireworks.”
Arizona Wildfires
On Sunday, two large wildfires burned to continue in the south of Prescott and the northeast of Flagstaff.
On Saturday night, the fire near Flagstaff was 32 square miles, which is 83 square kilometers. With this, the evacuation and burning down of around 30 homes, according to county authorities.
In the area around Highway 89, Coconino County lifted the evacuation on Sunday morning, as fire management suggested that there is no more threat.
The cause of the fires in both New Mexico and Arizona remains unknown.
With climate change, wildfires have become a threat on the western side, adding snowmelts and changes in the monsoonal cycle.
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Published By: Aman Gupta
Edited By: Vanshika Sahu
