Posted in New Mexico Nature November 17, 2016 by

Wildfire Warnings Are Spreading Throughout New Mexico And It’s Truly Concerning

This year has already been quite a devastating one for New Mexico. It was only back in June that our state experienced the Dog Head Fire that burned over 17,000 acres of land. If you’ve been paying attention to the news, you’ve seen that once again this type of natural disaster is taking over other parts of our country and could potentially be a threat to the Land of Enchantment once again.

With areas along the East Coast currently suffering from historically tragic wildfires, the threat of another natural disaster could once again be a cause for concern.
Gila National Forest/Flickr
In states like North Carolina, residents are dealing with one of the worst wildfires their states have ever experienced. But it isn't just North Carolina that's dealing with this natural tragedy, other states like South Carolina, Georgia and Tennessee are also dealing with unruly conditions that are disastrous.
If you take a look at our country's Active Fire Maps, you'll see that a large part of New Mexico is currently under a Red Flag Warning for fire weather.
Active Fire Maps
If you're unfamiliar with any of this terminology, then let me break it down for you. The red areas of New Mexico shown on the map above indicate Red Flag Warnings for the state. A Red Flag Warning is issued when areas become ideal for fire combustion and rapid spreading. This means that as of right now, that much of our state is currently in potential danger.
It feels as though our residents only just recovered from the overwhelming disaster of the Dog Head Fire that took place back in June.
Gila National Forest/Flickr
Like so many of the cases with wildfires, this summer a blaze was set after a bolt of lightning struck. To make matters worse, the wildfire was only further exacerbated by the fact that our state was experiencing intense heat waves and horribly dry conditions. The Dog Head Fire was just one of many to consume not only New Mexico, but also both Arizona and California.
The Dog Head Fire burned over 17,000 acres of land in New Mexico and even destroyed the homes of some of our residents.
Gila National Forest/Flickr
Wildfires destroyed over a dozen homes in the area of Tajique just southeast of Albuquerque.
Wildfires are still blazing in New Mexico and Colorado are quickly becoming a cause for concern.
Gila National Forest/Flickr
One of the greatest concerns is what will happen when the wind reaches high speed. If wildfires do end up breaking out in either New Mexico or Colorado, our current high wind speeds will only add more fuel to the literal fire.

As Red Fire Warnings continue, we’ll keep a close eye on New Mexico’s wildfires. Hopefully, the situation will stay contained.

Were you affected by the Dog Head Fire that took place over the summer? Are you concerned at all that wildfires will once again erupt in New Mexico?

OnlyInYourState may earn compensation through affiliate links in this article.