Massive New Mexico wildfire continues to spread rapidly, force evacuations
By
Alyssa Glenny, AccuWeather Meteorologist
Published May 3, 2022 8:03 AM EST
|
Updated May 5, 2022 12:26 AM EST
Evacuations are underway in northern New Mexico and many other communities have been told to be ready to flee at a moment's notice as a massive wildfire continues to spread thanks to hot, dry and windy conditions across the Southwest.
The Calf Canyon and Hermits Peak fires are currently torching the New Mexico counties of Mora and San Miguel, located slightly east of Santa Fe, New Mexico. Combined, the two make up the largest active wildfire in the United States after they merged into one back on April 23, according to Wildfire Today.
Chris Castillo throws a freshly cut log as he and his cousins clear a wireline along a family member's home in Las Vegas, N.M., Monday, May 2, 2022. Wind-whipped flames are marching across more of New Mexico's tinder-dry mountainsides, forcing the evacuation of area residents and dozens of patients from the state's psychiatric hospital as firefighters scramble to keep new wildfires from growing. (AP Photo/Cedar Attanasio)
Despite the best efforts of over 1,050 personnel working to extinguish the flames, the fire has burned through 160,104 acres of land and was 20% contained as of Wednesday evening. Flames encapsulated portions of the Santa Fe National Forest, including the Burro Basin and Johnson Mesa. The wildfire's size had grown over 20,000 acres since Monday morning, largely due to gusty and erratic winds.
On Tuesday afternoon, immediate evacuations were ordered in the Mora County areas of Holman, New Mexico and Chacon, New Mexico, with evacuees using Highways 94, 518 and 121 per the New Mexico State Police. A video posted by New Mexico Representative Roger Montoya shows the smoke-filled skies of Chacon, as the political figure aided in the evacuation process:
Sunday evening into Monday morning, the fires moved southward toward the city of Las Vegas, New Mexico, prompting red flag warnings that expired on Wednesday night. Las Vegas is one of several cities where residents have been forced to leave their homes, Reuters reported.
The cause of the Calf Canyon fire remains under investigation, but the Hermits Peak Fire was reportedly started as a result of spot fires from a prescribed burn. The fire has reportedly burned more than 100 homes.
Views of the smoke billowing from the fires could clearly be seen from satellite images Monday.
NOAA's GOES-East satellite shows the Calf Canyon and Hermits Creek Fire in northern New Mexico on Monday, May 2, 2022.
In New Mexico history, the largest ever recorded wildfire was the Whitewater-Baldy Fire Complex that occurred across the Gila National Forest in 2012. This wildfire burned a devastating 289,478 acres from early May until it was fully contained in late July.
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If the Calf Canyon and Hermits Peak fire continues to grow at its current rate, it has the potential to climb to the second place seat in terms of record size, right behind the Whitewater-Baldy Fire. Currently, the second-largest wildfire in New Mexico history was the Las Conchas Fire in 2011 which burned 156,293 acres.
Air quality in nearby New Mexico cities, such as Santa Fe, Las Vegas and Mora, is currently at unhealthy levels due to the wildfire smoke.
Forecasters continue to monitor fire weather conditions across the West this week and claim that environmental factors will not be entirely favorable for those working to combat the flames.
"While many areas in the Texas high plains have seen beneficial rainfall in recent days, that has not been the case in most of New Mexico. With dry vegetation and very low relative humidity, the threat for wildfires will continue," explained AccuWeather Meteorologist Andrew Johnson-Levine.
"A dip in the jet stream will increase wind speeds across much of the Desert Southwest. When combined with dry conditions, this will lead to a very dangerous setup for the spread of wildfires," stated Johnson-Levine.
Officials announced mandatory evacuations for the small town of Mora and the surrounding communities on Sunday after the fire expanded by approximately 38,000 acres in 48 hours.
Meteorologists say that a period of calmer winds is expected by later this week. However, it will likely not last long.
"Another storm system is likely to pass through the Intermountain West this weekend or early next week. Because of this, strong and gusty winds are likely to return across the Southwest, increasing the fire risk once again next week," explained Johnson-Levine.
For the latest weather news check back on AccuWeather.com. Watch the AccuWeather Network on DIRECTV, Frontier, Spectrum, fuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios. AccuWeather Now is now available on your preferred streaming platform.
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News / Weather Forecasts
Massive New Mexico wildfire continues to spread rapidly, force evacuations
By Alyssa Glenny, AccuWeather Meteorologist
Published May 3, 2022 8:03 AM EST | Updated May 5, 2022 12:26 AM EST
Evacuations are underway in northern New Mexico and many other communities have been told to be ready to flee at a moment's notice as a massive wildfire continues to spread thanks to hot, dry and windy conditions across the Southwest.
The Calf Canyon and Hermits Peak fires are currently torching the New Mexico counties of Mora and San Miguel, located slightly east of Santa Fe, New Mexico. Combined, the two make up the largest active wildfire in the United States after they merged into one back on April 23, according to Wildfire Today.
Chris Castillo throws a freshly cut log as he and his cousins clear a wireline along a family member's home in Las Vegas, N.M., Monday, May 2, 2022. Wind-whipped flames are marching across more of New Mexico's tinder-dry mountainsides, forcing the evacuation of area residents and dozens of patients from the state's psychiatric hospital as firefighters scramble to keep new wildfires from growing. (AP Photo/Cedar Attanasio)
Despite the best efforts of over 1,050 personnel working to extinguish the flames, the fire has burned through 160,104 acres of land and was 20% contained as of Wednesday evening. Flames encapsulated portions of the Santa Fe National Forest, including the Burro Basin and Johnson Mesa. The wildfire's size had grown over 20,000 acres since Monday morning, largely due to gusty and erratic winds.
On Tuesday afternoon, immediate evacuations were ordered in the Mora County areas of Holman, New Mexico and Chacon, New Mexico, with evacuees using Highways 94, 518 and 121 per the New Mexico State Police. A video posted by New Mexico Representative Roger Montoya shows the smoke-filled skies of Chacon, as the political figure aided in the evacuation process:
Sunday evening into Monday morning, the fires moved southward toward the city of Las Vegas, New Mexico, prompting red flag warnings that expired on Wednesday night. Las Vegas is one of several cities where residents have been forced to leave their homes, Reuters reported.
The cause of the Calf Canyon fire remains under investigation, but the Hermits Peak Fire was reportedly started as a result of spot fires from a prescribed burn. The fire has reportedly burned more than 100 homes.
Views of the smoke billowing from the fires could clearly be seen from satellite images Monday.
NOAA's GOES-East satellite shows the Calf Canyon and Hermits Creek Fire in northern New Mexico on Monday, May 2, 2022.
In New Mexico history, the largest ever recorded wildfire was the Whitewater-Baldy Fire Complex that occurred across the Gila National Forest in 2012. This wildfire burned a devastating 289,478 acres from early May until it was fully contained in late July.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
If the Calf Canyon and Hermits Peak fire continues to grow at its current rate, it has the potential to climb to the second place seat in terms of record size, right behind the Whitewater-Baldy Fire. Currently, the second-largest wildfire in New Mexico history was the Las Conchas Fire in 2011 which burned 156,293 acres.
Air quality in nearby New Mexico cities, such as Santa Fe, Las Vegas and Mora, is currently at unhealthy levels due to the wildfire smoke.
Forecasters continue to monitor fire weather conditions across the West this week and claim that environmental factors will not be entirely favorable for those working to combat the flames.
"While many areas in the Texas high plains have seen beneficial rainfall in recent days, that has not been the case in most of New Mexico. With dry vegetation and very low relative humidity, the threat for wildfires will continue," explained AccuWeather Meteorologist Andrew Johnson-Levine.
"A dip in the jet stream will increase wind speeds across much of the Desert Southwest. When combined with dry conditions, this will lead to a very dangerous setup for the spread of wildfires," stated Johnson-Levine.
Officials announced mandatory evacuations for the small town of Mora and the surrounding communities on Sunday after the fire expanded by approximately 38,000 acres in 48 hours.
Meteorologists say that a period of calmer winds is expected by later this week. However, it will likely not last long.
"Another storm system is likely to pass through the Intermountain West this weekend or early next week. Because of this, strong and gusty winds are likely to return across the Southwest, increasing the fire risk once again next week," explained Johnson-Levine.
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For the latest weather news check back on AccuWeather.com. Watch the AccuWeather Network on DIRECTV, Frontier, Spectrum, fuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios. AccuWeather Now is now available on your preferred streaming platform.
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