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1,200 Firefighters Battle Record New Mexico Blaze
June 2, 2012
By Susan Montoya Bryan, AP | | ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - The more than 1,200 firefighters who are battling the nation's largest wildfire in rugged mountains and canyons of southwestern New Mexico are racing to build lines to corral the massive blaze. The fire had charred more than 354 square miles by Saturday morning, and crews were bracing for more dry and windy conditions. Fire information officer Lee Bentley says the focus is on the western edge of the Whitewater-Baldy fire. The fire is expected to start backing down the mountains east of the community of Glenwood, and officials say residents should expect to see more smoke and flames as firefighters continue their backburn operations. Bentley says gusts could reach close to 30 mph Saturday, resulting in active to extreme fire behavior. The fire is about 15 percent contained. It has charred 227,000 acres of the Gila National Forest and a dozen cabins and several outbuildings have been destroyed.
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Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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Story image: This photo provided by the U.S. Forest Service shows a hotspot during burnout operations at the Gila National Forest blaze, Friday June 1, 2012. AP Photo/U.S. Forest Service Gila National Forest, Brandon Oberhardt
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