Firefighters slow advance of New Mexico blaze as Biden declares disaster

Firefighters in New Mexico have slowed the advance of the largest wildfire currently burning in the US, as Joe Biden declared the situation a disaster, bringing new resources to remote stretches of New Mexico that have been devastated by fire since early April.

Nearly 1,300 firefighters and other personnel are currently battling the fire, which has fanned out across 258 sq miles (669 sq km) of high alpine forest and grasslands at the southern tip of the Rocky Mountains.

The federal disaster declaration was announced on Wednesday evening by the New Mexico congresswoman Teresa Leger Fernandez.

Bulldozers have been scraping fire lines on the outskirts of Las Vegas, population 13,000, while crews have conducted controlled burning to clear adjacent vegetation to prevent it from igniting. Aircraft dropped more fire retardant as a second line of defense along a ridge just west of Las Vegas in preparation for intense winds expected over the weekend. The fire was contained across just 20% of its perimeter.

Mandatory evacuation orders have been issued for an estimated 15,500 homes in outlying areas and in the valleys of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains that border Las Vegas. The tally of homes destroyed by the fire stands about 170 but could grow higher because officials have not been able to conduct assessment in all of the burn zones.

The aid includes grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses and other relief programs for people and businesses, a White House statement said.

Officials at Los Alamos National Laboratory were warily tracking another wildfire that crept within about 5 miles (8km) of facilities at the US nuclear research complex.

Dan Pearson, a fire behavior specialist with the federal government, said weather forecasters predict two days of relatively light winds before the return of strong spring gales.