Hummingbird Fire in New Mexico: Ground Crews Battle Raging Blaze

The Hummingbird Fire in New Mexico's Ila Wilderness is still raging with 0% containment.

It's grown to about 2,673 acres, 15 miles east of Glenwood,

sparse by lightning on April 20th.

Nearly 200 firefighters are battling it on the ground right now.

Sunday brought tough growth as flames push northeast over Iron Creek Mesa and west into Iron Creek.

Winds gussed up to 35 miles per hour,

grounding air tankers and helicopters for safety.

Ground crews held the line by mopping up spot fires and scouting new handlines to box it in.

Folks in the Willow Creek subdivision got evacuated Saturday and crews there cleared debris

while setting up gear to shield homes. A fire closure is an effect and smokes drifting into spots

like gila cliff dwellings, gila valley, and even silver city. Monday looks better with winds down

to 14 miles per hour and gusts to 24 on ridges, though dry air keeps humidity low at 14.

Percent Firefighters plan to check firing options above Willow Creek

and keep structure protection staffed overnight.

Conditions stay tricky, but lighter breezes give crews a shot to gain ground and protect

key areas in the days ahead. That's the story for today, El Paso News Today, driven by AI.

I'm Corey with the story.