SANTA FE, NM (AP) – New Mexico Governor Michel Lujan Grisham has signed a declaration of emergency as 20 bushfires continue in nearly half of the 33 states hit by the drought on Sunday.
The bushfire in northern New Mexico, which began April 6, was joined by new fires on Saturday, creating the largest wildfire in the state, causing widespread evacuations in Mora and San Miguel counties. This fire was 84 square miles (217 square kilometers) on Sunday and localized at 12%.
A windless fire in northern New Mexico on April 17 burned 81 square miles (209 square kilometers) of Ponderosa pine, oak bushes, and grass on Sunday morning in an unincorporated community north of Okata County. Blue raspberry.
Meanwhile, in Arizona, several residents were forced to evacuate because of a fire near Flagstaff, which returned home Sunday morning.
Nebraska authorities say forest fires caused by wind An accident in some parts of the state has killed a retired firefighter in Cambridge and injured at least 11 firefighters.
Winds and temperatures dropped in New Mexico on Saturday, but remained strong enough to extinguish the fire. Dozens of orders remained at the evacuation site.
Firefighters expect the fire to slow north Sunday as cloud and smoke enter, allowing the forests to retain more moisture. But they added that the internal parts of the fire could exhibit moderate and severe behavior, which could endanger structures in these areas.
More than 200 buildings have been burned by forest fires and another 900 remain in danger, Lujan Grisham said.
Firefighters said the exact amount of damage was unclear because it was still very dangerous for crews to enter and find all the missing homes.
“We don’t know how much structure was lost.“ We don’t know where most of the houses survived the fire, where the houses weren’t damaged or whatever, ”said Jason Coyle, chief of operations.
About 1,000 firefighters have fought bush fires in New Mexico that have already won about $ 3 million in grants to help with the fires.
Lujan Grisham said he has asked the White House for more federal resources and is calling for a nationwide ban on fireworks.
“We need more federal agencies to support fire fighting, fire fighting and public safety in New Mexico,” he said. “It will be a difficult summer. That is why we prohibit fire. So on Monday I asked all local authorities to think about how to ban the sale of fireworks.
According to the scientist, wildfires in the West have become a threat throughout the year, due to changing conditions, which include the melting of earlier snow and rain that will come later in the fall. The problems have been exacerbated by decades of fire fighting and mismanagement from more than 20 years of drought, which studies have linked to man-made climate change.
Two large wildfires continued to erupt in Arizona on Sunday, 10 miles south of Prescott and 14 miles northeast of Flagstaff.
On Sunday morning, Kokonio District authorities revoked an evacuation order for residents living in areas along 89th Highway after firefighters determined the fire was no longer a threat in the Flagstaff area.
The fire near Flagstaff was 33 square miles (85 square kilometers) on Sunday and had 3% containment. According to state authorities, he forced the evacuation of 766 homes and burned 30 houses and 2 dozen other structures, starting last week.
Arizona Governor Doug Dussie declared a state of emergency in Kokonio County on Thursday to deliver aid to affected communities.
Forest fires near Prescott started Monday and measured 4.8 square miles (12.4 square kilometers) and 15 percent occurred Sunday morning when helicopters and tankers dropped water and barriers to slow the fire. .
The causes of bushfires in New Mexico and Arizona are being investigated.
Nebraska Emergency Management Agency officials said John P. Trump, of Arapaho, was engulfed in smoke and fire after his vehicle left the road Friday night due to poor visibility of smoke and dust.
Trump, 66, worked with firefighters as a visitor in Red Willow County, the state’s southwest, and his body was found Saturday morning, authorities said.
Forest fires were still raging in five Nebraska districts Saturday night. The Nebraska National Guard deployed three helicopters and several auxiliary trucks to fight the fire.
Source: Huffpost
