{"id":40672,"date":"2022-05-11T23:12:32","date_gmt":"2022-05-12T05:12:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/massive-new-mexico-wildfire-grows-but-taos-safe-for-now\/"},"modified":"2022-05-12T05:12:32","modified_gmt":"2022-05-12T05:12:32","slug":"massive-new-mexico-wildfire-grows-but-taos-safe-for-now","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/massive-new-mexico-wildfire-grows-but-taos-safe-for-now\/","title":{"rendered":"Massive New Mexico wildfire grows, but Taos safe for now"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"A.B.
A.B. Montoya takes a photo of a building that was completely burned in the Calf Canyon Fire in Rociada, N.M., Tuesday, May 10, 2022. The former owner of this house was related to his dad. The largest wildfire burning in the United States was heading toward mountain resort towns in northern New Mexico on Wednesday, prompting officials to issue another set of warnings for more people to prepare to evacuate as the fast-moving fire picks up momentum. (Luis Sanchez Saturno\/The New Mexican via AP)<\/span>Luis Sanchez Saturno<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Burning now for more than a month, the largest wildfire in the U.S. was spreading toward mountain resort towns in northern New Mexico on Wednesday, prompting officials to issue another set of warnings for more people to evacuate.<\/p>\n

\u201cDay 36,\u201d fire spokesman Bill Morse said at a briefing Wednesday night. \u201cEver since April 6, this fire has grown day by day by day.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, a wildfire that erupted Wednesday afternoon in coastal Southern California raced through coastal bluffs of multimillion-dollar mansions, burning at least 20 homes, fire officials said. The flames were fanned by gusty ocean winds but they were dying down Wednesday night. No injuries were reported but several streets were ordered evacuated.<\/p>\n

\"A
A firefighter works to put at a structure burning during a wildfire Wednesday, May 11, 2022, in Laguna Niguel, Calif. (Marcio J. Sanchez\/Associated Press)<\/span>Marcio J. Sanchez<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The fire, which occurred in Laguna Niguel, was relatively small at about 200 acres but the wind drove embers into palm trees, attics and dense, dry brush on slopes and steep canyons that hadn\u2019t burned for decades, Brian Fennessy, chief of the Orange County Fire Authority, said at an evening news conference.<\/p>\n

Fennessy said climate change has made even small fires that once would have been easily contained into extreme threats to life and property throughout the West.<\/p>\n

As night fell, fire officials in New Mexico said the fastest-moving flames along the eastern front of the Sangre de Cristo range on the southern end of the Rockies were headed farther northeast \u2013 away from the area\u2019s biggest population center in Taos, a well-known tourist enclave 40 miles south of the Colorado line.<\/p>\n

\u201cCurrently no issues in the Taos area,\u201d fire operations chief Todd Abel said. \u201cThe fire is kind of wanting to move to the north and east a little bit. But we\u2019re still going to pay close attention.\u201d<\/p>\n

Some aircraft were able to fly to drop retardant on the blaze despite winds gusting in some areas in excess of 45 mph. And some evacuation orders were relaxed along the southern flank of the fire near Las Vegas, New Mexico \u2013 more than 50 miles south of the flames on the northern perimeter.<\/p>\n

Additional crews were on order to join the more than 1,800 personnel fighting the fire, and forecasters said conditions should be more favorable by the weekend if crews can hold their ground through another red-flag warning stretch into Thursday evening.<\/p>\n

On Wednesday, the most active part of the wind-fueled fire northeast of Mora was tossing hot embers farther into unburned territory giving the fire an even bigger foothold on the tinder-dry landscape.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnother hot, dry, windy day. No surprises there,\u201d fire incident meteorologist Makoto Moore said at Wednesday night’s briefing in Las Vegas.<\/p>\n

After growing more than 50 square miles the day before, the fire had charred more than 370 square miles by Wednesday morning. Evacuations were ordered for villages south of the resort town of Angel Fire east of Taos, where residents were told to also be packed and ready to go.<\/p>\n

The towering plume of smoke created by the raging wildfire could be seen hundreds of miles away Wednesday afternoon, but it was more unnerving for residents of Taos.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think everyone is a little on edge,\u201d Karina Armijo, a town spokeswoman, said Wednesday, adding that she\u2019s been busy fielding calls from people who are wondering whether it\u2019s still safe to visit. \u201cIt\u2019s hard to say what\u2019s going to happen a week from now versus three weeks from now \u2013 or even tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n

In winter, the challenging ski slopes just north of town draw people from around the world. Just last month, the Taos ski valley hosted the World Pro Ski Tour\u2019s championship races. Art galleries, adobe churches and a rich history of Hispanic and Native American culture are the attractions in warmer months along with the aspen-covered biking and hiking trails that traverse the region.<\/p>\n

The fire already has burned through a forested landscape held sacred by its rural residents, many losing homes that have been in their families for generations. Some residents allowed to return Tuesday and Wednesday found only charred rubble. Others were more fortunate as the flames skirted their homes.<\/p>\n

Firefighters were working to protect buildings around the towns of Mora and Holman and in smaller villages to the north, while authorities closed many roads in the area because of firefighting activity, smoke and fire danger.<\/p>\n

\"Jerry
Jerry Gomez looks through the remains of his home following a wildfire in Rociada, New Mexico, on Tuesday, May 10, 2022. The largest wildfire burning in the United States was heading toward mountain resort towns in northern New Mexico on Wednesday, prompting officials to issue another set of warnings for more people to prepare to evacuate as the fast-moving fire picks up momentum. Gomez is enthusiastic about rebuilding. (Luis Sanchez Saturno\/The New Mexican via AP)<\/span>Luis Sanchez Saturno<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cThis is tough firefighting business right here,\u201d fire Incident Commander Dave Bales said in a briefing. \u201cThis is not easy, especially in the fuel types we’re in, in the ponderosa pine, mixed conifer, even down into the grass. When we can\u2019t fly aircraft, when we can\u2019t get people on the direct edge of the fire, when it\u2019s spotting over us, that\u2019s a huge concern for us.\u201d<\/p>\n

A federal disaster already has been declared because of the blaze, which is partly the result of a preventive fire that escaped containment on April 6 after it was set to clear brush and small trees so they could not serve as wildfire fuel. That fire merged with another wildfire several weeks later.<\/p>\n

Crews also were battling a smaller fire near Los Alamos National Laboratory, a key government facility for nuclear research that has been tapped to ramp up production of plutonium components for the nation’s nuclear arsenal. Most employees began working remotely this week as the lab and adjacent town prepared for possible evacuations as a precaution.<\/p>\n

Crews working that blaze have been using heavy machinery to clear out vegetation and build more fire lines in hopes of keeping the flames from moving closer to the community.<\/p>\n

\"Firefighters
Firefighters work to put out a structure burning during a wildfire Wednesday, May 11, 2022, in Laguna Niguel, Calif. (AP Photo\/Marcio Jose Sanchez)<\/span>Marcio Jose Sanchez<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"A
A car smolders in front of a destroyed home during a wildfire Wednesday, May 11, 2022, in Laguna Niguel, Calif. (AP Photo\/Marcio J. Sanchez)<\/span>Marcio J. Sanchez<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"A
A firefighter works to put out a structure burning during a wildfire Wednesday, May 11, 2022, in Laguna Niguel, Calif. (AP Photo\/Marcio Jose Sanchez)<\/span>Marcio Jose Sanchez<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"A
A firefighter works to protect a structure during a wildfire Wednesday, May 11, 2022, in Laguna Niguel, Calif. (AP Photo\/Marcio J. Sanchez)<\/span>Marcio J. Sanchez<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"A
A firefighter works to put out a structure burning during a wildfire Wednesday, May 11, 2022, in Laguna Niguel, Calif. (AP Photo\/Marcio J. Sanchez)<\/span>Marcio J. Sanchez<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"A
A firefighter works to put out a structure burning during a wildfire Wednesday, May 11, 2022, in Laguna Niguel, Calif. (AP Photo\/Marcio J. Sanchez)<\/span>Marcio J. Sanchez<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Firefighters
Firefighters work to put out a structure burning during a wildfire Wednesday, May 11, 2022, in Laguna Niguel, Calif. (AP Photo\/Marcio Jose Sanchez)<\/span>Marcio Jose Sanchez<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"A
A firefighter works to put out a structure burning during a wildfire Wednesday, May 11, 2022, in Laguna Niguel, Calif. (AP Photo\/Marcio J. Sanchez)<\/span>Marcio J. Sanchez<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"A
A firefighter works to put out a structure burning during a wildfire Wednesday, May 11, 2022, in Laguna Niguel, Calif. (AP Photo\/Marcio J. Sanchez)<\/span>Marcio J. Sanchez<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"A
A burnt home following a wildfire is seen in Sapello, New Mexico, on Tuesday, May 10, 2022. The largest wildfire burning in the United States was heading toward mountain resort towns in northern New Mexico on Wednesday, prompting officials to issue another set of warnings for more people to prepare to evacuate as the fast-moving fire picks up momentum. (Luis Sanchez Saturno\/The New Mexican via AP)<\/span>Luis Sanchez Saturno<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Firefighters
Firefighters work to put out a structure burning during a wildfire Wednesday, May 11, 2022, in Laguna Niguel, Calif. (AP Photo\/Marcio J. Sanchez)<\/span>Marcio J. Sanchez<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"A
A burnt bicycle is among the remains of a burnt mobile home in the community of San Ignacio following a wildfire near Las Vegas, New Mexico, on Tuesday, May 10, 2022. The largest wildfire burning in the United States was heading toward mountain resort towns in northern New Mexico on Wednesday, prompting officials to issue another set of warnings for more people to prepare to evacuate as the fast-moving fire picks up momentum. (Luis Sanchez Saturno\/The New Mexican via AP)<\/span>Luis Sanchez Saturno<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A.B. Montoya takes a photo of a building that was completely burned in the Calf Canyon Fire in Rociada, N.M., Tuesday, May 10, 2022. The former owner of this house was related to his dad. The largest wildfire burning in the United States was heading toward mountain resort towns in northern New Mexico on Wednesday, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":40673,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[815,138],"naviga_topic":[],"class_list":["post-40672","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-associated-press-new-mexico","tag-new-mexico"],"acf":[],"author_name":"dh_admin","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40672","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=40672"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40672\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/40673"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40672"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=40672"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=40672"},{"taxonomy":"naviga_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/naviga_topic?post=40672"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}