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Biden Declares New Mexico Wildfires a Disaster

Biden Declares New Mexico Wildfires a Disaster

A NOAA satellite captured a dramatic view of fires burning near a Colorado dust storm.

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This GIF from a NOAA satellite shows both moving smoke plumes from the New Mexico fires as well as raging dust storms in Colorado, a convergence of climate-change-related global crises.
Gif: NOAA / GOES East satellite

There are multiple fires currently burning across the U.S. Southwest. The largest is a megafire in northern New Mexicoā€™s San Miguel County called the Calf Canyon/Hermits Peak fire, which has burned more than 165,000 acres (257 square miles) of forest and grassland and is only 20% contained. The fire began as two separate blazes but combined into one fire complex on April 19.

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On Wednesday, President Biden approved a disaster declaration for five counties in New Mexico impacted by ongoing wildfires. The declaration frees up federal funding to help support firefighting efforts in the state, as well as aid for temporary housing and other relief programs for people affected.

The megafire already ranks as the third largest ever recorded in New Mexico, and it has burned more land than all fires combined in the state during 2021. So far, it has destroyed at least 172 homes and forced thousands of people to evacuate. However, thousands more are staying put, even under evacuation orders. In Mora County, which has a population of 4,500, about 60% of residents havenā€™t left, according to a report by NBC News.

The blaze also threatens areaā€™s rich cultural history, which extends much farther back than the United States itself, as reporting from the New York Times describes. The Calf Canyon/Hermits Peak blaze is barreling ever closer to Las Vegas, New Mexico, a city with a population of about 13,000.

Two other fires are burning nearby. First thereā€™s the Cerro Pelado blaze that has swept through nearly 27,000 acres so far. Cerro Peladoā€™s fireline is less than 6 miles from the Los Alamos National Laboratory. That fire rapidly grew by more than 20% overnight. Then, thereā€™s the Cooks Peak fire which has covered almost 60,000 acres so far.

The Hermits Peak fire began as a prescribed burn and was first declared a wildfire on April 6 after unexpected erratic winds caused it to spread. April is early for fires of this size in New Mexico, where fire season typically peaks in June. Human-caused climate change has been making fire seasons longer, causing them to both begin earlier and end later in the year. Climate change exacerbates heat and drought, two major drivers of wildfires.

Another major driver is wind. Warm, dry, and very windy weather is expected to hit the region beginning on Saturday, with wind gusts starting up to 45 mph, and intensifying late into next weekā€”potentially worsening the blaze. For now, a couple of days break in wind has allowed firefighters to set up another round of fire lines and other defenses on the outskirts of Las Vegas to help manage the blazeā€™s spread.

Almost 1,300 personnel have been assigned to fight the Calf Canyon/Hermits Peak fire, while around 2,000 wild land firefighters are working elsewhere in the state and country, according to the Associated Press. ā€œThe primary focus of firefighting efforts will be containment line construction around the perimeter of the fire, as well as structure protection throughout the fire area,ā€ said the U.S. Forest Service in its Thursday update.

Correction 5/9/2022, 8:34 a.m. ET: A previous version of this article misstated the cause of the Calf Canyon fire. The Hermits Peak fire began as a prescribed burn that was declared a wildfire on April 6. The cause of the Calf Canyon fire is unknown.

Update 5/6/2022, 9:03 a.m. ET: This post has been updated with additional information from an NBC News report and an additional GIF from NOAA.

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Fires Seen From Space

Fires Seen From Space

Taken from space via NOAA satellite, this loop shows the heat and smoke being produced from the Cooks Peak And Calf Canyon/Hermits Peak fires in New Mexico.
Gif: NOAA / GOES-17 Satellite
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Firefighting Aircraft

Firefighting Aircraft

A firefighting plane drops a slurry of bright pink fire retardant over homes.
Firefighting aircraft like this slurry bomber (dropping fire retardant) are helping to keep the ongoing Calf Canyon/Hermits Peak fire from burning through Las Vegas, NM.
Photo: Eddie Moore (AP)
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Smoke Seen From Space

Smoke Seen From Space

An image captured by the MODIS instrument on NASAā€™s Aqua satellite shows the smoke plume from fires burning between Santa Fe and Las Vegas, NM on May 3.
An image captured by the MODIS instrument on NASAā€™s Aqua satellite shows the smoke plume from fires burning between Santa Fe and Las Vegas, NM on May 3.
Image: NASA
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Firefighting Aircraft

Firefighting Aircraft

A firefighting plane flew over the fire near Las Vegas, NM on May 4.
A firefighting plane flew over the fire near Las Vegas, NM on May 4.
Photo: Thomas Peripert (AP)
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Smoke Plume

Smoke Plume

A smoke plume emerging from a ridgeline is visible against blue sky
Smoke from the New Mexico fires is causing poor air quality across the region.
Photo: ROBERTO E. ROSALES (AP)
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Smoke Plume

Smoke Plume

Smoke billows from between two ridges.
Wind is pushing the fires to expand.
Photo: ROBERTO E. ROSALES (AP)
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Infrared Satellite Image

Infrared Satellite Image

This infrared image, also taken from space via NOAA satellite, shows the intense heat of the Calf Canyon/Hermits Peak fire as of May 2.
Gif: NOAA / GOES East Satellite (Fair Use)
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