Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D-NM) declared a state of emergency in New Mexico as the Calf Canyon/Hermits Peak Fire grew to over 200,000 acres.

The largest fire in the United States continues to burn as firefighters struggle to contain the blaze that has torn through 200,000 acres of New Mexico, according to KOB 4. Despite favorable weather conditions, the fire spread further north and south over the weekend, with evacuation efforts underway to get residents out of danger. 

“Once again, if you are in a Go status please, please evacuate. [We] will have firefighters working all over the place in there, and if you're trying to get out we're trying to get in; it causes a lot of problems,” Tod Able, operations section chief, told KOB 4. 

Smaller communities were ordered to evacuate when fire officials closed off State Road 518 due to its proximity to the fire. Fire officials likened the situation to playing ping pong, going back and forth in an effort to contain the fire, KOB 4 reported. 

So far, over 170 homes have been destroyed by the blaze; officials expect that number to increase over the next few weeks as the fire continues to expand.