Washington-Sana
Today, the American Civil Defense continued its attempts to contain the “Hermets” fire that broke out more than a month ago in the southwestern state of New Mexico, amid warnings of a drought that may worsen the situation.
"We are witnessing a critical phase of the fire, there is high temperature and strong winds, these are the worst conditions possible during any fire," New Mexico Governor Michelle Logan Grisham said in a press statement today.
The weather service in the state capital, Albuquerque, warned that a storm and drought over the weekend would "make the situation worse."
The Hermitz blaze spanned about 680 square kilometers at the southern tip of the Rockies, destroying nearly 170 properties and forcing the evacuation of nearly 16,000 homes, with only 20 percent contained.
The aforementioned fire broke out on April 6, when a fire that authorities lit in order to remove excess vegetation cover in a controlled area got out of control.
Yesterday, US President Joe Biden declared parts of New Mexico disaster areas due to wildfires.