It is one of several fires burning in the West, with flames also ripping through Arizona and Nebraska, where one person has died.
On Saturday, New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham said 16 of the state’s 33 counties were battling flames, with 20 active wildfires.
Decreasing winds and lower temperatures in the southwest should provide firefighters with some temporary respite Monday — and there is even a chance of rain and snow showers in northeastern New Mexico, DailyExpertNews meteorologist Robert Shackelford said.
“There is a chance of light snow buildup and the Calf Canyon fire is about to happen so any precipitation would be much appreciated. But unfortunately winds and temperatures there will also pick up from Tuesday and peak in Friday, ‘ said Shakelford.
The Hermits Peak Fire, which burns near Las Vegas, New Mexico, ignited April 6, and the Calf Canyon Fire began Tuesday.
New Mexico Fire Information said on Monday that “favorable weather conditions yesterday gave firefighters the opportunity to extinguish more immediately, and an influx of new resources will aid firefighting.”
“Firefighters are fully engaged, we have the whole range of our fire departments available – air sources, ground sources, intelligence sources,” said incident commander Carl Schwope. He noted that it was a very complex fire with a circumference of more than 180 miles.
Two “scooper” planes were deployed to scoop water from a nearby lake to extinguish the flames, and two more are expected Monday, Operations chief Jayson Coil said at the briefing.
Heavy helicopters that can hold up to 2,000 gallons of water were also in use, as well as air tankers, Coil said.
Evacuation orders lifted for Arizona tunnel fire
The fire has been burning for nearly a week in Coconino County in northern Arizona and was only 15% under control Monday, the InciWeb report said. Fire crews will remain in the area while continuing the rescue.
The fire started just north of Flagstaff on April 17. At least two dozen buildings have been destroyed, officials said.
As residents began to return to their neighborhoods on Sunday, the full extent of the destruction from the fire came into view.
“It’s unbelievable, you know? We still feel like this is a dream, a bad dream,” Ernst told the station. “All your efforts, all your sacrifices, just there, you know, in the ashes… There’s no word to describe the pain.”
George Adson said it was a relief to see his home survive the fire, but he felt sorry for his neighbors who lost everything.
“You have a bit of survival guilt,” Adson told KNXV. “Just the fact that our property looks pretty good right now, and you look up there, there’s nothing there.”
Officials warned residents returning to their homes to watch out for dangerous conditions left behind by the fire.
“Examples of hazards include fire-weakened trees that can fall without warning, loss of ground vegetation can loosen rolling debris and rocks, and ash pits from stumps can look benign, but hold the hot ash for a while and cause severe burns if you run into it.” steps,” the report said.
The state of emergency in Coconino County, declared Thursday by Governor Doug Ducey, remains in effect.
Retired fire chief dies in Nebraska . fires
In Nebraska, one person has died as a result of the fires in the southwestern part of the state.
Retired fire chief John P. Trumble, 66, drove as a spotter. Smoke and dust blocked his view, causing his vehicle to run off the road. He was then engulfed by fire and smoke, according to the Red Willow County Sheriff’s Office.
Trumble died while driving on Road 407, a site that was part of Nebraska’s larger wildfire emergency called Road 702 Fire — which, according to Inciweb, was estimated to have burned more than 41,000 hectares by Monday afternoon.
The agency said the Road 702 wildfires engulfed parts of Frontier, Furnas and Red Willow counties.
All previously issued evacuation orders for the fire have been withdrawn as of Sunday afternoon, NEMA notes.