Abu Landa New Mexico Rain Due To Forest Fires, Thousands Of People Evacuated

UNSPLASH/Michael Held ILLUSTRATION

JAKARTA - One person died as a result of a forest fire in New Mexico, United States (US) which also caused thousands of people to be evacuated. Hundreds of buildings caught fire.

"We don't have any additional details," said Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham.

As of Tuesday, June 18 evening, about 1,400 houses and other buildings have been destroyed. The entire village of Rudidoso in New Mexico, which has a population of 7,000 people, was evacuated, officials added.

"Two people were injured in the forest fire," he added.

The governor also declared a state of emergency in Lincoln County and the Apache Mescalero Reservation due to two forest fires - South Fork Fire and Salt Fire.

The South Fork fire is estimated to reach 15,276 are (61,82 square kilometers) and cannot be overcome at all.

"It's scary with the ash falling. It might be like a snowfall, it's pretty bad. It's terrible," Karen Sandoval, a refugee from Rudidoso told the KUB 4 media station.

Separately, firefighters in California are also battling high temperatures, low humidity, and strong winds as they try to extinguish the forest fires that began Saturday, June 15, last week in northwest Los Angeles and burned 12,000 hectares of land.