Few people know the devastation of the wildfires impacting New Mexico than the people of Mora County. The Calf Canyon/Hermits Peak Fire is the largest in the history of the state and forced the evacuation of hundreds of families. The San Miguel Sheriff’s Office confirmed nearly 350 homes have been destroyed, KOB 4 reported.
Some people are returning to see the impact of the devastation, including members of the Espinoza family, who evacuated from Mora to live with their son in Albuquerque.
“It’s hard. It’s hard. It’s hard,” Randy Espinoza told KOB 4.
The Espinozas' house remains standing, but Randy and his wife Pauline remain with their son Nathan in Albuquerque as they process what has happened.
“Fireball. Fire, smoke. Cops going back and forth telling people to evacuate. It looked like a war zone,” Randy told KOB 4 of when the fire arrived.
A former firefighter, he said this was among the worst things he had ever witnessed.
“Very ferocious,” he told KOB 4. “Just gobbling up all of our land, our homes, structures and mentally, physically, economically, it just tore us apart.”
Amaya Rose Romero, a senior at Mora High School, is back in Mora, trying to deal with the damage caused by the fire.
“It was really sad considering I’ve lived here all my life, seeing everything burned, all the mess. It hit deeper, closer to home,” Rose Romero told KOB 4. “I didn’t get to end my senior year the way I wanted to. I’m still glad we’re able to have a graduation.”