Critical fire condition warnings issued across US Southwest

By PAUL DAVENPORT
Associated Press

Authorities are warning that much of the U.S. Southwest will see critical fire conditions this weekend. The so-called red flag warnings come as crews in northern New Mexico work to stop the growth of the nation’s largest active wildfire. The 7-week-old fire is the largest in New Mexico history and has burned 491 square miles east of Santa Fe since being started in April. Crews are patrolling partially burned areas and clearing and cutting containment lines. The National Weather Service’s red flag warnings have been issued for parts of Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas and Utah.