Wildfires sweep US Southwest, with New Mexico's season 'dangerously early'

TAOS, New Mexico－New Mexico faces a long and potentially devastating wildfire season, said its governor on Saturday, as US Southwestern wildfires cause destruction and force people from their homes.

Hundreds of structures were lost in a growing number of wind-driven blazes across drought-stricken New Mexico, governor Michelle Lujan Grisham said.

Over 20 active wildfires were burning in at least 16 of the state's 33 counties, in the wake of winds that gusted up to 145 kilometers per hour on Friday, said Grisham during a briefing streamed online. "So half the state has a fire issue," she said.

With so many fires burning in April, well before the normal May or June start of the wildfire season, "our risk season is incredibly and dangerously early".

The wildfires are the most severe of nearly two dozen in the US Southwest and raised concerns the region was in for a brutal fire year as a decadeslong drought is combined with abundant dry vegetation.

Fires also were burning in Colorado, where new evacuations were ordered on Friday west of Colorado Springs. But there were no immediate reports of structures lost.

Winds and temperatures in New Mexico diminished on Saturday, but remained strong enough to still fan fires, and dozens of evacuation orders remained in place.

Over 200 structures have burned, said Grisham, not providing specifics on locations or the numbers of homes included in that count.

With fires still burning and charred areas too dangerous to enter, "it's not safe for you or us to have a complete assessment to date", she said, indicating that the number of lost structures would rise.

She appealed to residents to refrain from using fireworks or burning trash and to evacuate when fire warnings are issued. "You need to leave. The risks are too great," she said.

The largest blazes were concentrated in northern New Mexico, where two major fires merged and numerous villages were threatened by advancing flames as residents heeded calls to leave.

The merged fires burned some structures but no figures were available, said fire information officer Mike Johnson. "They were able to save some structures and we know we lost other structures that we weren't able to defend," he said.

Wind-blown clouds of dust and plumes of smoke obscured the skies near the fires, said Jesus Romero, assistant county manager for San Miguel county. "All the ugliness that spring in New Mexico brings－that's what they're dealing in," he said.

Agencies - Xinhua