Fire crews battle heat, wind to extinguish infernos

State legislator calls for federal disaster declaration, relief

The two largest wildfires in New Mexico history remained active on Wednesday as crews battled hot and windy conditions.

The Black Fire, burning about 30 miles northwest of Truth or Consequences, had grown to 317,676 acres by Wednesday morning. It is the second biggest fire in state history.

Burning mostly on Gila National Forest land, the fire was 48% contained Wednesday. There are currently about 1,100 personnel assigned to the blaze.

While fire officials dealt with hot and windy conditions on Wednesday, the weather is expected to shift by the end of the week. Fire officials said they are expecting dry thunderstorms to move into the area by Thursday and increasing chances for rain into the weekend.

State Sen. Crystal Diamond, an Elephant Butte Republican, wrote a letter to Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, calling on her to ask President Joe Biden to issue a disaster declaration for the fire. She said the inferno will have generational impacts on families in southwest New Mexico.

“Our communities desperately need disaster relief now to prepare for the coming summer monsoons, and to rebuild from this historic fire,” she said in a prepared statement. “I urge the governor and the president to provide us with the resources we need so the residents, farmers, ranchers, and producers in my district are not left out to dry.”

Evacuations have been issued for some homes in Sierra, Catron and Grant counties.

The Black Fire is the second largest in state history behind the Calf Canyon/Hermits Peak Fire, which is burning west of Las Vegas.

That fire has grown to 335,069 acres and is 70% contained. There are nearly 2,200 personnel assigned to that blaze.

“The fire is increasing in activity based on the predicted Red Flag conditions,” officials with the Calf Canyon/Hermits Peak Fire wrote in an update Wednesday morning.

The southern part of that fire was particularly active, with near-record temperatures and strong winds.

A spokeswoman for the Governor’s Office estimated that 1,200 homes have some level of damage as a result of the Calf Canyon/Hermits Peak Fire.

Thousands of people have been evacuated in San Miguel, Mora, Taos and Colfax counties.

U.S. Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández, D-N.M., announced Wednesday that the federal government will provide full coverage for the Emergency Watershed Protection Program. The program pays pri

vate landowners to prevent flooding and erosion on their properties. Biden had previously announced that the federal government would be covering 100% of the costs of certain types of relief effort needed after the fire, which was started as prescribed burns by federal employees who work for the Forest Service.

Work done through the watershed program will take place in Colfax, Mora, San Miguel and Lincoln counties.

Meanwhile, firefighters battling the Cerro Pelado Fire, which is about 45,000 acres about 7 miles east of Jemez Springs, reached 100% containment this week. Fire officials said crews will continue to patrol the fire perimeter.

One of the state’s newest fires, the Midnight Fire, which is burning north of El Rito in Rio Arriba County, was 4,905 acres on Wednesday after starting June 9 from a lightning strike. That fire was 12% contained and firefighters were reporting a decrease in fire activity on the east and northeast sides of the blaze.