Santa Fe area firefighters finally catch heat break

SANTA FE, N.M. — The largest wildfire in North American came to a near standstill overnight amid light rain and frosty temperatures as firefighters scrambled Tuesday to clear flammable vegetation and deployed aircraft to douse smoldering forests.

The blaze that started about seven weeks ago in the Rocky Mountains foothills east of Santa Fe was 41 percent encircled by clearings and barriers that can stop a wildfire from spreading further.

Gusty winds continued to carry hot embers across barriers such as roadways, as fire crews raced to extinguish small spot fires.

The fire has consumed more than 486 square miles of timber, grassland and brush, with evacuations in place for weeks.

It’s among six active large fires in the state that have burned across 536 square miles.

So far this year, wildland fires have burned across roughly 2,650 square miles of the United States. That’s roughly twice the average burn for this time of year, according to a national center for coordinating wildfire suppression. Climate change and an enduring drought are significant factors.

Wildland firefighters in New Mexico braced for the anticipated return of hot, dry and windy weather later this week.

“By Friday, we’re back to the same old critical fire weather that we have been experiencing for many, many days,” said Stewart Turner, a fire behavior analyst for the U.S. Forest Service.

A wildfire on the outskirts of Los Alamos National Laboratory was 85 percent contained Tuesday. In the vicinity, Bandelier National Monument is preparing to reopen some areas to visitors Friday.

In southwestern New Mexico, a fire is burning through portions of the Gila National Forest and outlying areas.