‘Nothing to go back to’: the way of life lost to New Mexico’s historic fire

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BidenPresident

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The Calf Canyon/Hermits Peak fire has since ballooned to nearly 300,000 acres, as of Tuesday, making it the largest to ever hit the state. And while there have been no fatalities, thousands of people have been displaced for weeks as firefighters struggle to get the blaze under control. These evacuees are depending on local shelters that serve the largely rural area north-east of Santa Fe and south of Taos where the blaze has left a trail of destruction.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/may/18/new-mexico-wildfire-hermits-peak-calf-canyon
 
Many scientists believe these wind-driven spring wildfires are yet another unanticipated consequence of climate change in the American south-west.

“We are using every trick in the book to fight this thing, but the constant wind we have been experiencing day and night is unprecedented,” says Andy Lyon, a spokesperson for the south-west area incident management team.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/may/18/new-mexico-wildfire-hermits-peak-calf-canyon
 
BidenPresident said:
The Calf Canyon/Hermits Peak fire has since ballooned to nearly 300,000 acres, as of Tuesday, making it the largest to ever hit the state. And while there have been no fatalities, thousands of people have been displaced for weeks as firefighters struggle to get the blaze under control. These evacuees are depending on local shelters that serve the largely rural area north-east of Santa Fe and south of Taos where the blaze has left a trail of destruction.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/may/18/new-mexico-wildfire-hermits-peak-calf-canyon
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I recently spent some time in the Los Alamos/White Rock/Santa Fe area. We went hiking in the hills and it was gorgeous. That was on the other side of Santa Fe from Calf Canyon and Hermit's Peak, but assuming the landscape is similar, I can see why it would burn so much -- it was super dry, but with a lot of underbrush and scrub. It was the worst drought in 1,200 years. We'll see more problems like this with climate change.
 
Mina said:
I recently spent some time in the Los Alamos/White Rock/Santa Fe area. We went hiking in the hills and it was gorgeous. That was on the other side of Santa Fe from Calf Canyon and Hermit's Peak, but assuming the landscape is similar, I can see why it would burn so much -- it was super dry, but with a lot of underbrush and scrub. It was the worst drought in 1,200 years. We'll see more problems like this with climate change.
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Yes. Northern New Mexico actually has a lot of trees and is quite gorgeous. Unfortunately, the rough terrain makes on the ground fire fighting difficult.
 
Mina said:
I recently spent some time in the Los Alamos/White Rock/Santa Fe area. We went hiking in the hills and it was gorgeous. That was on the other side of Santa Fe from Calf Canyon and Hermit's Peak, but assuming the landscape is similar, I can see why it would burn so much -- it was super dry, but with a lot of underbrush and scrub. It was the worst drought in 1,200 years. We'll see more problems like this with climate change.
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I love that area and Santa Fe is such a fun town.
 
Phantasmal said:
I love that area and Santa Fe is such a fun town.
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Yes. Great food, too. I've been eating Mexican food my whole life but had never encountered the omnipresent choice you get in NM of red or green chili sauce on everything (or "Christmas" for both).
 
BidenPresident said:
Yes. Northern New Mexico actually has a lot of trees and is quite gorgeous. Unfortunately, the rough terrain makes on the ground fire fighting difficult.
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The landscape was really interesting, because the low areas were mostly bare -- exposed rock and sand, dotted with little clumps of scrub (yucca? juniper? creosote?). But up in the hills it was a whole different story, with lots of trees -- and you could even spot the change of the types of trees you encountered the higher up you went, so that you were basically passing through a bunch of distinct landscapes as you rose... with some of the higher elevations having the kinds of trees you'd find even in a wetter, cooler climate (like aspens).
 
Mina said:
The landscape was really interesting, because the low areas were mostly bare -- exposed rock and sand, dotted with little clumps of scrub (yucca? juniper? creosote?). But up in the hills it was a whole different story, with lots of trees -- and you could even spot the change of the types of trees you encountered the higher up you went, so that you were basically passing through a bunch of distinct landscapes as you rose... with some of the higher elevations having the kinds of trees you'd find even in a wetter, cooler climate (like aspens).
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Nice, yes. And red rock and ground dirt.
 
Mina said:
Where we visited, the rocks in the cliffs were striated, with paler yellow rocks sitting on top of red-orange ones, such that you could clearly make out where, say, the Cretaceous period began.
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It's beautiful, isn't it. Hope more than rocks are left.
 
Official update today:

Hermits Peak and Calf Canyon Fire, May 18, 2022
MAY 18, 2022 BY SFNFPIO 0 COMMENTS

May 18, 2022, Daily Update, 08:00AM

Acres: 301,971| Containment: 34% | Total personnel: 1,958

Start Date: Hermits Peak: April 6, 2022; Calf Canyon: April 19, 2022 | Cause: Hermits Peak: Spot fires from prescribed burn; Calf Canyon: Under investigation | Location: Located near Gallinas Canyon Fuels: Heavy mixed conifer, ponderosa pine, brush, and grass

Highlights: The Hermits Peak and Calf Canyon Fires have been divided into three zones: East Zone, West Zone and South Zone.

https://nmfireinfo.com/2022/05/18/hermits-peak-and-calf-canyon-fire-may-18-2022/
 
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