Rain, snow slow New Mexico fire, but hot, dry weather looms
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Light rain and a bit of snow in the mountains of northern New Mexico helped slow the largest wildfire in North America. But nearly 3,000 firefighters are continuing to scramble to clear flammable vegetation and deploy aircraft to douse flames ahead of a worsening fire forecast into the weekend. The Memorial Day weekend traditionally marks the beginning of the primary wildfire season across many parts of the Southwest. But wildland blazes already have burned an area larger than the state of Delaware this year in extremely dry conditions created by lingering drought and climate change. A new fire that broke out Wednesday briefly forced some evacuations near Flagstaff, Arizona.
Border agency plans vehicle pursuit policy to raise safety
DONNA, Texas (AP) — The head of U.S. Customs and Border Protection says he's working on a new policy for vehicle pursuits with an eye toward increasing safety after a spate of deaths. Commissioner Chris Magnus, who took over the nation's largest law enforcement agency in December, told The Associated Press on Tuesday that he expects the policy to be finalized soon. It will rely on extensive discussion with people inside and outside the Border Patrol, data analysis and a review of practices at other law enforcement agencies. He told agents about the upcoming change during a visit to Texas' Rio Grande Valley.
Heightened wildfire threat prompts stricter restrictions
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — Arizona's national forests and some local governments and land management agencies are implementing stricter campfire and smoking restrictions because of the heightened wildfire threat. Heightened restrictions ordered by the Apache-Sitgreaves, Coconino, Coronado, Kaibab, Prescott and Tonto national forests take effect either Wednesday or Thursday. Along with restricting campfires and smoking, the forests' heightened restrictions prohibit or impose limits on various activities. Those include shooting, welding, using chain saws, running generators and driving motor vehicles off roads. An Apache-Sitgreaves statement said the restrictions "are necessary to reduce human-caused wildfires during periods of high fire danger and persistent severe fire conditions." .
3 Texans die in New Mexico highway crash involving towed SUV
DEMING, N.M. (AP) — Authorities say three West Texas residents were killed when the SUV they were riding in while it was being towed on a New Mexico highway rolled after both vehicles ran off the road . A New Mexico State police spokesman said Monday that eight people were in two SUVs headed east on Interstate 10 outside the small southern New Mexico city of Deming when the accident happened Saturday night. The three men who died were not wearing seat belts and were ejected from a Nissan SUV. The Nissan driver was badly injured and four people in the SUV that had been towing the Nissan were also hurt. Two of the dead were from El Paso and the third from the nearby community of Anthony.
Cooler New Mexico weather aids big wildfire fight -- for now
MORA, N.M. (AP) — Cooler weather is helping nearly 3,000 firefighters in New Mexico prevent the nation's largest active wildfire from growing. Fire officials said Monday night that they took advantage of better conditions to expand contingency firebreaks northeast of Santa Fe ahead of a return to hotter, windier weather by the end of the week. The blaze started as two fires and burned into one large conflagration now larger than the city of Los Angeles. A rural sheriff warned at a community briefing Monday night that "just because we've had a few good days of weather ... it doesn't mean we are out of the woods yet."
Priceless seeds, sprouts key to US West's post-fire future
The mission was to rescue tens of thousands of invaluable tree sprouts from a research center in New Mexico and to keep safe a vital bank of millions of pine, spruce and other conifer seeds that will be used to restore fire-ravaged landscapes across the West. Owen Burney and his team succeeded in evacuating most of the priceless collection. But the superintendent of New Mexico State University's Forestry Research Center says the massive fire still churning through New Mexico highlights the need for collecting more seed, building more nurseries and planting more seedlings. The center is one of only a few such nurseries in the US and stands at the forefront of a major undertaking to rebuild more resilient forests as wildfires burn hotter, faster and more often.
No arrests made yet in fatal shooting of Albuquerque woman
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Authorities say they still are investigating a shooting at a gas station in March that left an Albuquerque woman dead. Police say a man and three teenagers allegedly were involved but no arrests have been made yet. Two of the four suspects were going to a city park to buy marijuana when they told police they allegedly were robbed and beaten by two men wearing masks. The victims told police they met up with two other teens at the gas station and stayed there, believing the robbers would return to the scene. An SUV pulled up and three teens fired about 30 shots at the vehicle, killing a female passenger. According to police, the occupants of the SUV were innocent bystanders and didn't know the teens.
Some New Mexico wildfire evacuees worry about their future
MORA, N.M. (AP) — As more than 2,700 firefighters in northern New Mexico continue to battle the nation's largest active wildfire, many evacuees are worried about their future. Hundreds have been away from their homes for more than a month now due to the biggest fire in the state's recorded history, and some say their financial resources are dwindling. Officials at Glorieta Adventure Camps said there have been 67 coronavirus cases among evacuees, including some that required hospitalization. Meanwhile, the six-week-old wildfire remained 40% contained around its perimeter Sunday.