Wind-whipped fire forces more New Mexico residents to flee

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Wind-whipped flames are marching across more of New Mexico’s tinder-dry mountainsides, forcing more residents to flee as crews elsewhere scramble to keep new wildfires from growing. The blaze burning near the community of Las Vegas has charred more than 188 square miles, a fast-moving example of hot, dry and windy conditions that are plaguing many parts of the West. The fire ballooned on Sunday, and authorities expanded the call for evacuations to part of Las Vegas and the small town of Mora. Another fire burning in the mountains west of Los Alamos National Laboratory also prompted more evacuations over the weekend.