Request that the local Fire Department or State Fire Marshals Office conduct an annual fire inspection for code compliance, proper safety equipment and employee safety training. Two fires east of Santa Fe -- the Calf Canyon Fire and the Hermits Peak Fire -- have merged, burning a combined 42,341 acres, fire officials said Saturday morning. Officials said the tens of millions of dead trees could topple over and reburn. The act, signed by President Joe Biden in September, provides $2.5 billion in compensation to New Mexicans and tribal nations affected by the fire. According to National Interagency Fire Center data, this year has seen more fires nationwide 24,762 than any previous year tracked in the last decade. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. ABC News' Dan Peck, Daniel Amarante and Lissette Rodriguez contributed to this report. Since the fire began, about 26,000 people have been forced to evacuate, with more expected to face evacuations later this week, according to the Fire South Zone Incident Management Team. New Mexico Wildfire Map - Fire, Weather & Avalanche Center Strong Winds Keep Fueling New Mexico Wildfire ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) Tens of thousands of people gathered in New Mexico on Friday for what organizers bill as the largest powwow in North America. All told, the Hermits Peak/Calf Canyon fire chewed through more than 341,000 acres, torched about 62 million trees in Santa Fe National Forest and private lands and burned down 220 structures. Nobody is coming to our rescue, and the government started the fire.. Both fires broke the previous record of 297,845 acres from the Whitewater-Baldy fire in 2012. The governor of New Mexico has declared a state of emergency for five counties, as several large wildfires burn across the state. A mix of the historic drought and 2% relative humidity have made the ground extremely dry. The Hermits Peak Fire prompted local and federal officials to announce mandatory evacuation orders Tuesday below the eastern slopes of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains that frame Santa Fe: San Ignacio, La Canada, Las Tusas, Manuelitas, Southwest Sapello, Canoncito and Southern Tierra Madre Canon. The megafire fed off New Mexicos dry, overgrown forests. A migrant allegedly started a fire inside the Ciudad Juarez detention center on March 27. The fire was burning on both sides of the Rio Grande on Tuesday. If you would like to schedule an annual fire inspection for an existing business or building or have any questions, please contact the Fire Marshal's Office at (505) 764-6300 to make an appointment. All Rights Reserved. New Mexico Region II EMS Conference. Debris should be kept at least 50 feet from a home, EMNRD reported, and all trees and shrubs should be removed within 30 feet. Early data compiled by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the New Mexico Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management estimate Mora County sustained $29 million in damage, and losses statewide totaled $189 million. Owen Burney, director of New Mexico State Universitys John T. Harrington Forestry Research Center, said that improving the health of forests is crucial to relieving the growing wildfire danger across the Western United States. 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. Fire Grant: Home More than 10,000 homes have been directly impacted by the blaze, team spokesperson Andy Gray said. The collaborative New Mexico Reforestation Center has received funding from lawmakers and is hoping to get up and running relatively soon.