Winds of more than 40 miles per hour (64 km / h) blew coals a mile before the blaze to start new fires as crews struggled to stop the flames from entering Mora, about 64 miles (64 km) northeast of Santa Fe. . It is one of a number of rural communities on the Calf Canyon fire path, the most devastating of the twelve fires in the southwest that scientists say are most prevalent and arrive earlier this year due to climate change. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register “Where to run, where are we going?” said Darlene Gallegos, co-owner and manager of the local Mora’s Growers Market, the last grocery store left open in the rural community of about 1,000 people. Twenty miles south, at the other end of the 104,000-acre (42,100-acre) fire, Las Vegas, New Mexico residents were called in to prepare for evacuation as winds blew the fire 5 miles from homes near the interstate 25 , according to local officials. Crews dumped bulldozers west and north of the historic Old West’s 14,000-strong city to protect ranches, farmhouses and United World College in the village of Montezuma, firefighter Todd Abel said in a statement. “We’re just gritting our teeth, thousands of people will be affected,” said San Miguel County Deputy Director Jesούςs Romero as ash swirled around his home in southern Las Vegas. Asked if the entire city would be told to evacuate, Romero said this could happen on Monday, when winds are expected to shift and blow east. It has been burning since April 6, about 30 miles east of Santa Fe, the fire has destroyed more than 300 properties and forced the evacuation of dozens of villages and settlements in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register Report by Andrew Hay in Taos, New Mexico. Editing: Will Dunham and Marguerita Choy Our role models: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
