Bulldozers, aircraft used to fight massive wildfire

Over 1,000 firefighters backed by bulldozers and aircraft battled the largest active wildfire in the U.S. on Saturday after strong winds pushed it across some containment lines and closer to a small city in northern New Mexico.

Preliminary overnight mapping imagery indicated that the fire that has burned at least 166 homes grew in size from 103 square miles

Friday to 152 square miles by early Saturday, officials said.

Ash carried 7 miles through the air fell on Las Vegas, New Mexico, population about 13,000, and firefighters were trying to prevent the blaze from getting closer, said Mike Johnson, a spokesman for the fire management team.

Calmer winds Saturday were aiding the firefighting effort after gusts accelerated the fire’s advance to a point on Friday when “we were watching the fire march about a mile every hour,” said Jayson Coil, a fire operations official.

Winds gusted up to 65 mph Friday before subsiding as nightfall approached. By Saturday, aircraft that dump fire retardant and water could resume flights to aid ground crews.

The fire’s rapid growth Friday forced crews to repeatedly change positions because of threatening conditions but they immediately re-engage without being forced to retreat, Coil said.

No injuries were reported.

“Kind of a nod to everybody out there that made good decisions on the fly with limited information in a chaotic environment,” Coil said. “They did an excellent job.”

The winds first sent the flames advancing furiously on April 22. Since then, crews have worked to limit structure damage by installing sprinklers, pumps and hoses and clearing vegetation around buildings, officials said.