2022-05-07 07:00:00
Waldbrand in New Mexico. (Eddie Moore/The Albuquerque Journal via AP)
Exceptionally adverse weather has made the fight against a large forest fire in the US state of New Mexico much more difficult. On Saturday and possibly Sunday there could be storms with gusts of up to 60 miles per hour, said fire department operations chief Dave Bales. This extreme and unexpected weather situation could cause the flames to be carried up to 1.6 kilometers away. The fire department is trying to protect the houses.
A plane tries to put out the fire. (Eddie Moore/The Albuquerque Journal via AP)
Almost 1,300 firefighters and other helpers were deployed against the fire, which has now devastated 678 square kilometers of forest and grassland – an area more than twice the size of Bremen. They cleared fire breaks, laid down hoses as a precaution and, above all, tried to keep the flames away from the small town of Las Vegas with around 13,000 inhabitants. Thousands of people had to leave their homes.
Las Vegas in New Mexico should not be confused with the casino metropolis of the same name in Nevada.
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