Pause For Northern New Mexico Fire, But Hot & Dry Returns Friday; 486 Square Miles Burned So Far
The largest wildfire in North America slowed to a near standstill in northern New Mexico Tuesday amid light rain and a bit of snow in the mountains as nearly 3,000 firefighters scrambled to get ahead of a worsening fire forecast in the days ahead. The Memorial Day weekend historically marks the beginning of the primary wildfire season across many parts of the Southwest. But wildland blazes already have burned an area larger than the state of Delaware this year in extremely dry conditions created by lingering drought and climate change.
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The blaze that started about seven weeks ago in the Rocky Mountains foothills east of Santa Fe was 41% encircled by clearings and barriers that can stop a wildfire from spreading farther.
The fire has consumed more than 486 square miles (1,260 square kilometers) of timber, grassland and brush, with evacuations in place for weeks. Its perimeter stretches 634 miles (1,020 kilometers) — more than the distance between New York City and Detroit.
It's among six active large fires in the state that have burned across 536 square miles (1,388 square kilometers). So far this year, wildland fires have burned across roughly 2,650 square miles (6,860 square kilometers) of the U.S. That's roughly twice the average burn for this time of year, according to a national center for coordinating wildfire suppression.
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https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/rain-snow-slow-mexico-fire-hot-dry-weather-84954312