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Firefighters continued to fight devastating wildfires in southwestern America on Friday.
In New Mexico, officials have issued more evacuation orders, warning that strong winds are pushing the Calf Canyon fire into new areas.
The U.S. Forest Service said Saturday that the Hermits Peak and Calf Canyon fires – which merged last weekend – now have a total area of 97,064 acres.
The flames were controlled by 32%, with more than a thousand staff on site.
DANGEROUS FIRE TIME AROUND US THREATENED EFFORTS TO CONTAIN FLAME
Gusty conditions prevented any air strikes until mid-Friday morning, although there were no immediate reports of lost new structures.
At least 166 houses were destroyed in San Miguel County.
On Friday, more than 2,000 firefighters battled fires in both the Land of Charm and Arizona.
The Koper Forest Service has announced that fire and smoking restrictions will take effect for the Coconino National Forest on May 5th and that the Flagstaff government will impose Stage 1 fire restrictions at the same time.
The fire in the tunnel, north of Flagstaff, was 89% on Friday and covered 19,075 acres.
A top-level national management team handed it back to the local forest on Friday.
However, the fire has already destroyed at least 30 homes and forced hundreds to evacuate.
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Some residents near another fire 10 miles south of Prescott were not allowed back home.
The Crooks fire was 38% contained and spread over 9,393 acres.
Weaker winds are expected there over the weekend, but low humidity will be a problem, firefighters said.
The red flag warnings were in effect on Friday for most of New Mexico and parts of Colorado, Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas.
Fires burn unusually hot and fast at this time of year.
The threat of increased fire danger across the country is expected to continue in the summer, according to a recent perspective issued by NIFC.
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More than a million acres burn across the country from January 1.
Forest fires have become a year-round threat to West. Scientists say the problems have been exacerbated by decades of firefighting and mismanagement, along with more than 20 years of mega-drought, which studies link to man-made climate change.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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