Washington, May 5 (BNA): Firefighters slowed the advance of the largest wildfire in the United States as high winds subsided Wednesday, while President Joe Biden approved a disaster declaration that brings new financial resources to remote parts of New Mexico ravaged by fire since early April.
US Representative Teresa Leger Fernandez declared the presidential disaster declaration during an evening briefing by the United States, reports the Associated Press.
Forest Service on efforts to contain sprawling wildfires in northeastern New Mexico. It spread over 258 square miles (669 square kilometers) of high alpine forest and grassland at the southern tip of the Rocky Mountains.
Fire chiefs are taking advantage of a period of calm and relatively cold weather to keep the fire from getting too close to the small city of Las Vegas, New Mexico and other villages scattered along the fire change fronts.
Planes and helicopters dropped red mud from the sky, as ground crews cleared timber and trees to starve fire along crucial fronts.
Biden’s Disaster Declaration issued emergency funds for recovery efforts in three counties in northeastern New Mexico where fires are still burning and in areas of southern New Mexico where wildfires caused by winds killed two people and destroyed more than 200 homes in mid-April.
A White House statement said the aid includes grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses and other relief programs for individuals and businesses.
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