Residents of the small northeast New Mexico town have been watching aircraft disappear into a giant plume of smoke to fight a growing wildfire that has burned hundreds of square miles.
Lujan Grisham, a first-term Democrat who is running for reelection, said Tuesday night that the number of homes under mandatory evacuation had jumped from 6,000 to about 15,500. The governor said the number of homes destroyed would likely go much higher.
Dan Pearson, a U.S. Forest Service fire behavior analyst, called the day “a brief reprieve from the extreme conditions we have been experiencing,” but warned that dry winds are expected to increase and shift on Wednesday, pushing fire and smoke toward Las Vegas. Americans are already facing a shortage of 4 million housing units, but climate change is going to make it a whole lot worse. Real estate experts say climate threats will make it harder to afford to live in cities across the U.S. as wildfires, foods and storms turn up the pressure on an already unsustainable housing market.
Fire engines and crews worked Tuesday on the edge of town, and bulldozers cleared more fire lines on the outskirts. Air tanker and helicopter pilots took advantage of a break in the thick smoke and falling ash to drop fire retardant and water. Wildfires have become a year-round threat in the drought-stricken West — moving faster and burning hotter than ever due to climate change, scientists and fire experts say. Fire officials also point to overgrown and unhealthy forested areas where built-up vegetation can worsen wildfire conditions.
The fire merged last week with another blaze sparked in early April when a prescribed fire set by land managers escaped containment. The cause of the other fire remains under investigation.Another New Mexico wildfire burning through forested areas to the northeast had forced the evacuations of about 800 homes while charring 92 square miles .
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