Several New Mexico communities near Cooks Peak are still under evacuation orders as a wildfire continues to spread.
Officials estimate that the Cooks Peak fire has spread to over 50,000 acres due to the high winds that are causing it to quickly move and increase in size, an updated KOB 4 report said on Sunday.
"It's a very fast-moving fire, a fast-growing fire, it's currently burning toward the east," Matthew Garcia, Cooks Peak Fire spokesperson, told KOB 4. "It's burning a few different heads so to speak, it's kind of like a hand with a bunch of fingers, it's spreading to the east with these Red Flag winds. These winds have been pretty hard for the past few days."
There currently has been no damage to property or personal injuries, but the fire is difficult to control because the dry land and strong winds make it unpredictable and hard to contain.
Authorities monitoring the fire are utilizing the Ready, Set, Go program; which notifies the communities and keeps them alert in case they need to evacuate quickly. Many communities have already been put on the "Set" notification, which means they should be ready to leave as soon as officials give the evacuation order.
Evacuation centers have been set up at Memorial Middle School in Las Vegas, as well as at Wagon Mound Public Schools and Mora Schools. Livestock can be evacuated to the American Legion Pavilion in Mora.