wildfire

A wildfire raging out of control in southwestern New Mexico grew by 30 square miles overnight Monday.  The massive blaze is on track to become the largest in the state's history.

Whipped by strong winds, the Whitewater Baldy Complex fire is expected to break the record set by last year's devastating Las Conchas wildfire that scorched 244 square miles.  It's burned at least a dozen summer cabins and is a long way from containment. 

Red Flag warnings are causing the Gladiator Fire to spread quicker than it has in recent days. 

The damage increased over 600 acres since Monday.  It now stands at just over 15,600 acres.

Control numbers continue to rise, with the fire now 26% contained.

Some of the resources used on the fire are being diverted to new wildfires in Arizona.

Gerry Perry with the Gladiator Fire Incident Management Team:

“We did lose four air tankers that left for other fires.”

That leaves the fire crew with two flame-retardant dropping planes.

This is the time of year when a puff of smoke on the horizon can raise the hair on the back of your neck. Is it a prescribed burn? Or is it the makings of the state's next massive wildfire? Arizona has experienced two of the largest forest fires in recorded state history in the last decade. And, as Arizona Public Radio's Gillian Ferris Kohl reports, the onset of fire season has a lot of Arizonans on edge.

Flagstaff resident Lisa Skinner grew up in a household of firefighters and has been ready to evacuate her whole life.

Several large wildfires continue to burn in Arizona, Nevada and New Mexico. Severe drought led to an aggressive start to this year’s fire season.