Firefighters Battling New Mexico Blaze Brace for Wind

After strong winds pushed it across some containment lines and closer to a small town in northern New Mexico, over 1,000 firefighters backed by bulldozers and aeroplanes battled the country's largest active wildfire.

After gusts accelerated the fire's development on Friday, "we were watching the flames march nearly a mile per hour," said Jayson Coil, a fire operations official, calmer weather on Saturday aided the suppression effort.

According to Mike Johnson, a spokeswoman for the fire management team, Ash had fallen 7 miles (11 kilometres) through the air on Las Vegas, which has a population of roughly 13,000 people, and firefighters were attempting to keep the fire from spreading.

However, fire authorities warned that windy conditions and smoke impacts are predicted in the following days, and residents were encouraged to stay alert for any additional evacuation orders. With the expected winds, Stewart Turner, a fire behaviour specialist with the fire management team, warned Saturday of a "very hazardous week" ahead.

The National Weather Service predicted a higher fire danger for regions of New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, and Colorado on Sunday.

The fire, which has destroyed at least 166 homes, increased in size from 103 square miles (266 square kilometres) on Friday to 152 square miles (393 square kilometres) by early Saturday, according to mapping images.

During a briefing Saturday evening, the fire was classified as 30 percent contained. Winds gusted up to 65 mph (105 kph) in northern New Mexico on Friday before fading as night fell. Ground teams and bulldozers may be able to fly again by Saturday, bringing fire retardant and water with them.

The quick spread of the fire Crews were forced to change positions multiple times on Friday due to threatening weather, but they were able to re-engage without being forced to retreat, according to Coil.

There were no injuries recorded. A prescribed burn set up by firefighters to clean out small trees and brush that can fuel flames was deemed out of control on April 6. A week ago, that fire joined with another blaze.