A Devastating Start To New Mexico’s Fire Season

There is a large range of fires destroying New Mexico and the fire season has yet to reach its peak. 

On Wednesday, May 4th, President Biden declared a major disaster for many parts of the state, allowing federal assistance to reach struggling residents. The disaster zone covers Mora and San Miguel counties, ranging 60 miles east of Santa Fe. Since April, the fire has grown 165,276 acres, making it New Mexico’s second-largest fire recorded.

The Calf Canyon fire has been the largest this year in the United States, with only 20% contained, displacing thousands and burning hundreds of structures. Many residents have been forced out of their homes, with no idea if they’ll be able to return. 

According to the Southwest Coordination Center, more than 243,000 acres have burned throughout the state this year, the second most in the past decade. These fires have caused an extreme drought with higher than normal temperatures. Climate science researchers believe this year’s conditions may foreshadow a fiery future for not only New Mexico but much of the southwest. 

New Mexico's previous second-largest fire occurred in 2011 in the Santa Fe National Forest, burning 156,593 acres. The Whitewater-Baldy Fire burned nearly 300,000 acres in southern New Mexico between May and July of 2012. As of now, the fire remains the largest in the state.  

The cause of the Calf Canyon Fire still remains under investigation. Over 1,200 personnel are fighting the Calf Canyon blaze, including staff from surrounding fire departments. Air tankers dropped water and retardant around the fire to block it from reaching Las Vegas. 

Joy Ansley, San Miguel County manager, says they’re unsure of how many structures were lost, “We haven’t been able to get back into the burn area. It’s still too hot.” County officials are still working to update the number of people affected, so far they’ve estimated over 4,000. They’re trying their hardest to give people warnings beforehand however, some evacuations happened in the middle of the night with no advance notice. “As you know, sometimes, mother nature doesn’t play by the rules,” said Chris Lopez, San Miguel County sheriff.

State and county police have gone door to door giving evacuation instructions, encouraging those reluctant to leave their homes took seek safety. Many in the Mora Independent School District, with 427 students enrolled, were asked to leave their homes. They wanted to finish out the last 2 weeks of the school year, district superintendent Marvin MacAuley planned to create remote classrooms in Las Vegas, however, “...the fire blew up, and scattered my staff even more.” 

The fire season has yet to fully begin, “We’ve already burned more acreage than we do on average for an entire season, and it’s now just the first week of May,” Albuquerque meteorologist Brian Guyer said. “Usually our biggest fires are in May and early June. This is exactly what we don’t want right now.”