Better weather conditions aid crews working New Mexico fires

By PAUL DAVENPORT
Associated Press

Improved weather conditions are helping firefighters battling several large wildfires in New Mexico, including the largest active one in the nation. High winds challenged crews on Friday but officials said Saturday that a cold front lowered temperatures, raised humidity levels and provided cloud cover that helped slow spread of the fire. Over 2,700 firefighters and other personnel were assigned to the 6-week-old fire, which has burned 482 square miles. It’s so big that it has been split into three zones each managed by its own command team. The fire is contained around 40% of its perimeter and is among five active large fires in the state and 16 nationally.