By Andrew Hay

TAOS N.M. (Reuters] – Fires erupted in New Mexico’s northernmost region, threatening hundreds of homes.

The wildfires that erupted northwest of Las Vegas (New Mexico) on Friday were driven by winds exceeding 75 mph (112 kph) and raced through the 15 miles of wooded forest.

After a devastating fire that ravaged the south side of Mora village, air tankers and ground crews helped to put out the flames on Saturday.

A fire 35 miles northeast of Taos grew to the point that it was the largest in America. It forced the evacuation of several villages and also threatened a Scout Ranch.

Wildfires in the Southwest are some of the most serious, and there were concerns that this region could be in for an extreme fire year due to decades-long drought conditions combined with dry vegetation.

In a press release, San Miguel and Mora county said that fire is moving quickly. It is important residents obey evacuation orders.

Combining the Calf Canyon fire and Hermits Peak fires, they burned 42,341 acres. This is more than Florida’s Disney World. Jayson Coil, incident commander, stated that the blaze turned to the east Saturday. This gave crews an opportunity to bulldoze firebreaks to protect Mora, and other villages, to its north.

Scientists believe climate change has led to a decrease in winter snowpacks, and to greater firepower and earlier start times.

The Cooks Peak fire, which nearly doubled its size west of Taos to 48.672 acres, forced the evacuation of Philmont Scout Ranch, and threatened the village of Cimarron.

(The story has been corrected to correct paragraph 4, which reads “east” rather than “west.”