The news broke as the Hermits peak and Calf Canyon flames continue to grow, so far burning 299,565 acres with only 26% containment. It is New Mexico’s largest wildfire in history.
State fire officials in New Mexico are warning of an increase in fire activity Tuesday as temperatures rise and dry conditions persist across the region.
Approximately 2,100 firefighters are working to doze the fire, with suppression efforts coming from both the ground and the air.
The Hermits Peak fire began as a prescribed burn on April 9 but evolved unmanageable when winds picked up and scattered embers across the area. The cause of the Calf Canyon fire, which started on April 19, is still under investigation.
Nearly 200 homes have been burnt so far and thousands of residents near the fire zone has ordered to leave the area and remain on high alert the because they might also need to evacuating as the fire has uncontrollably growing.
