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Strong winds and unusually high temperatures were expected to continue fueling wildfires in New Mexico Monday, where several fires, including one of the largest in the state’s history, engulfed communities and encouraged evacuations.
On Monday, the National Weather Service in Albuquerque estimated “Critical to extreme” fire conditions across New Mexico, including damaging winds, high temperatures, and very low humidity. Weather Service “We can’t beg enough: Beware of evacuations” said on Twitter.
Despite warnings of showers and thunderstorms in the eastern part of the state on Tuesday, there was little apparent relief. Todd Shoemake, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Albuquerque, said these storms could bring lightning strikes that could ignite new fires.
“We’re not going to get any benefits,” he said. “We like to think the rain is good, but the grass is dry.”
Forecasts were watched closely in New Mexico, where officials were struggling to combat the second-largest fire recorded in the state. As more than a dozen wildfires sweep southwestern americaThe country’s largest active fire, the Calf Canyon/Hermits Peak fire, which started last month, continued to threaten communities east of Santa Fe on Monday.
in the latest report Regarding the devastation caused by the fire, federal and local agencies said the fire had spread to more than 197,000 acres, with 43 percent of it under control. A report from state fire authorities He said on Monday the fire was driven by strong winds, which spread conifers, pines, shrubs and grasses more widely, making it difficult for firefighters to try to stop its growth.
“Firefighters have taken and continue to take many control measures to stop and control the fire,” the report said. “These control features are held in some areas, but the wind is testing them in others.”
As federal and local agencies came together to fight the wildfires, local law enforcement ordered evacuations. Megafire has threatened a multi-generational culture that has existed for centuries. descendants of the area’s Spanish settlerswho came to New Mexico long before the United States emerged, evacuating their homes and communities.
Mr Shoemake of the National Weather Service said most of northern and central New Mexico is about 5 to 10 degrees warmer than is typical for this time of year. For example, temperatures in the state’s mountain valleys were in the mid-80s on Monday, about 15 degrees above normal for this time of year, he said.
“We estimate a high figure of 86,” said Mr Shoemake on Monday, “about 9 degrees above where it should be”.
The combination of low humidity and humidity is bad news for those fighting to contain the fire, he said. Wind gusts of 45 to 65 miles per hour can cause erratic changes in the direction of the flames, threatening the safety of firefighters.
In the western United States, wildfires are increasing in size and intensity, and wildfire seasons are getting longer. Recent research has suggested that the heat and dryness associated with global warming are the main causes of the increase in larger and more powerful fires.
Calf Canyon/Hermits Peak fire second largest It set records in New Mexico after a fire that burned 297,000 acres in 2012, dwarfing the total land area. loss There will be fires in the state in 2021.
Xavier Becerra, the US Secretary of Health and Human Services, made a statement due to the fires. public health emergency for the state of New Mexico on Monday. The move will allow Medicare and Medicaid enrollees to receive certain treatments without meeting certain requirements.
President Biden last week approved the disaster declaration For the five counties in New Mexico affected by wildfires: Colfax, Lincoln, San Miguel, Valencia, and Mora.
In Mora County, where the Cooks Peak fire spread over more than 59,000 acres, people evacuation ordered Several bunkers were set up by their homes and emergency workers on Sunday. Some went north with their animals and went to the Juan I. Gonzales Agricultural Center, an exhibition and 4-H event space in Taos County.
County emergency management officer Bobby Lucero said on Monday that evacuees, many of whom brought only their medicines and a few belongings, settled in cots and ate meals provided by local churches.
We were able to feed sheep, goats and lambs,” he said. “Some of these people make a living from animal husbandry.”
They are also morally patient,” he said. “But you can say they want to go back home.”
Alyssa Lukpat contributing reporting.
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