Largest U.S. Wildfire Grows in New Mexico, Prompting More Evacuations
May 3, 2022 | New Mexico
More New Mexico residents were ordered to evacuate their homes Monday as gusting winds whipped the country’s biggest wildfire closer to communities in the northeast part of the state.
The Calf Canyon fire that started April 19 has burned over 103,000 acres of bone-dry land and is expected to grow, New Mexico fire officials said.
Fire authorities expanded their calls for evacuation for the small town of Mora and on Monday told residents in and around Las Vegas, N.M., to get ready. More than 1,000 firefighters are working to contain the flames east of Santa Fe.
A wind shift early in the day put the Calf Canyon wildfire on a potential collision course with Las Vegas, population 13,000, said Mike De Fries, fire information officer for the multiagency team assigned to the blaze.
“It’s very close to Las Vegas. It’s within a couple of miles,” he said…. (Excerpt from The Wall Street Journal)
