The Calf Canyon-Hermits Peak wildfire near Las Vegas has now burned an area nearly the size of Los Angeles.
Firefighters are now contending with the possibility of dry thunderstorms through Monday evening.
The frontal system that is expected to fire off some thunder and lightning has increased the humidity and dropped the temperatures in the region, but little or no rain is expected.
Incident meteorologist Brandon Breitreiter says while the storms will be widely scattered in the fire’s region, they could produce very high localized winds.
“Gusty, erratic, can come from all directions and you can imagine that is an incredible threat to firefighter safety,” he said. “The primary threats are going to be those gusty erratic outflow winds, the most robust of which hitting in the sixty to seventy miles per hour range.”
Governor Michelle Lujan Grishm has announced that Disaster Unemployment Assistance has been opened for New Mexicans whose jobs have been lost or interrupted due the wildfires in the state. It’s part of the Federal Disaster Declaration approved by President Biden.
