LAS VEGAS, N.M. (AP) — Firefighters have slowed the advance of the
largest wildfire in the U.S. as heavy winds relented. President Joe
Biden, meanwhile, has approved a disaster declaration that brings new
financial resources to remote stretches of northern New Mexico
devastated by fire. Fire crews in New Mexico sought Wednesday to keep
the flames from pushing any closer to the town of Las Vegas and other
villages scattered along the blaze’s shifting fronts. The fire has
burned hundreds of square miles, dozens of homes and trigged the
evacuation of 15,500 homes. The new disaster aid includes grants for
temporary housing and home repairs, and low-cost loans to cover
uninsured property losses.