ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Strong spring winds were fueling wildfires burning around New Mexico on Monday, with the latest blaze sending up a large plume of smoke that could be seen for miles in the Rio Grande Valley.
Valencia County authorities called for evacuations in the area and directed residents to a shelter at a community center in rural Belen, just south of Albuquerque. An unknown number of structures were reported as lost, but it wasn’t immediately clear whether they were homes, barns or other outbuildings.
Weather forecasters have warned of high fire danger around the state due to gusty winds, dry conditions and low humidity levels. The wooded areas that flank the Rio Grande have been particularly dry.
In northern New Mexico near the community of Las Vegas, crews also were grappling with the wind as they worked to corral a prescribed fire that had jumped its containment lines last week. Firefighters have been able to limit the fire’s spread to the south and southwest to ensure protection for Beaver Creek and the Gallinas Municipal Watershed.
