IT GROWS AS IT GOES

New Mexico Braces for Bigger Blazes as Winds Feed Nation’s Largest Wildfire

Since merging into one fire a week ago, the state’s biggest blaze had eaten through 102,000 acres by Sunday morning.

After more than 1,000 firefighters struggled to contain the state’s largest blaze, which grew by more than 30,000 acres in 24 hours, New Mexico officials warned residents of possible further evacuations to come. Roughly 6,000 state residents have already been issued evacuation orders over the Hermits Peak/Calf Canyon fire, which merged into one blaze a week ago. The gargantuan blaze had eaten through 102,000 acres by Sunday morning. It has been active since April 6, having begun as a prescribed burn that rapidly ripped its way out of firefighters’ control. Fire officials estimated Sunday it was around 30 percent contained, an effort bolstered by calmer conditions on Saturday. But stronger gales are expected in the coming days, mirroring Friday’s weather, where wind speeds exceeded 65 miles per hour at points. A fire behavior analyst, Stewart Turner, predicted Saturday a “very serious week” ahead, according to the Associated Press. “We’re still in a very dangerous fire situation. It’s going to continue,” Carl Schwope, a local team commander, told The New York Times. “There’s nothing in the weather that looks like it’s going to change. High wind events, north wind events, south wind events. It’s all over the board.”