© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: An airplane drops water to fight wildfires in the Hermits Peak and Calf Canyon, near Las Vegas, New Mexico, U.S. May 4, 2022. REUTERS/Kevin Mohatt
By Daniel Trotta
(Reuters) – Aerial firefighters poured water and retardants into a raging New Mexico wildfire on Saturday, speeding up their mission ahead of stronger forecast winds that officials said are expected to fuel more of their aerial campaigns in the coming days.
All of New Mexico has faced at least six wildfires, the worst of which have burned through mountains and canyons just east of the capital, Santa Fe, amid extremely hot weather, many wind and drought that Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham called “the worst that could happen.” for any fire. “
The Hermits Peak/Calf Canyon complex burned through 170,665 acres on Saturday, the equivalent of 266 square miles (690 square kilometers) or nearly 90 percent of New York City’s land, destroying nearly 90 percent of New York City’s land, officials said. at least 170 homes and forced 16,000 officials said.
Worse yet, hot temperatures and strong winds are forecast for another five days in what firefighters call a “historic fire weather event”.
Dave Bales, U.S. Forest Service incident commander for the Hermits Peak/Calf Canyon fire, told reporters that helicopter and plane pilots began early Saturday in hopes of strong winds. will come and land the crew.
Wind speeds of 30 mph on Saturday with gusts of 60 mph (48 to 96 km/h) are expected to increase on Sunday. Meanwhile, 35% relative humidity is forecast to drop to a bone dry level of 18% on Sunday, firefighters said.
“We won’t be able to fly the plane, so the next few days we won’t have much air support,” Bales told reporters.
Strong winds are controllable, but fluctuating speeds create danger for pilots, and strong winds blow water and retarders off point, Bales said.
KOAT television showed a helicopter dipping a barrel attached to a cable into the lake, while the plane glided through billowing smoke to drop water and flame retardants over the flames.
More than 13,000 firefighters on the ground rotated in and out, using hand tools and bulldozers to start fires.
The Hermits Peak/Calf Canyon fire was 21 percent contained on Saturday, but unburnt forests are still behind the fire lines, meaning it has more fuel, Bales said.
The fire consisted of two flames that burned about two weeks apart and then merged into one, the first of which stemmed from a regulated combustion project that had lost control. Officials said the cause of the second remains was under investigation.
At least five others raged elsewhere in the state.
One of them, the 59,000-acre (238 sq km) Cooks Peak fire a little further northeast than the main blaze, has been 97 percent contained, meaning resources could soon be recovered. moved elsewhere in the state, said Lujan Grisham.
