
'Refusal to evacuate could be a fatal decision.' Officials urge residents in northern New Mexico to leave ahead of a rapidly growing blaze
CNN
Officials in northern New Mexico urged residents in more than two dozen communities to immediately evacuate Saturday ahead of a massive blaze that exploded in size in a day.
The Calf Canyon Fire began last week and combined with the Hermits Peak Fire, which was already burning near Las Vegas, New Mexico. By Saturday morning Calf Canyon had scorched more than 97,000 acres -- a huge size jump from the roughly 65,800 acres it had burned a day before. The blaze was 32% contained Saturday, according to the interagency reporting website InciWeb.
The rapid spread of flames prompted evacuation orders Friday for areas across and near San Miguel County, including Big Pine, Gallinas, Lower Canyon Road, Trout Springs, Hot Springs and East and West Sapello, officials said.