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Image Credit: David Cordova. | Image of the view from Holman Hill into Las Vegas, NM after evacuation
The largest wildfire in New Mexico state history is tearing through centuries-old rural communities -- destroying generations of culture and displacing thousands.
It's been more than 40 days now since the fires began to ravage my home state of New Mexico -- tearing through hundreds of thousands of acres and destroying centuries-old communities. My family's own history here dates back at least seven generations that I can track.
I consider myself one of the lucky ones. Though my family had to evacuate, I'm back home, in the house my grandfather built. So many others, like my aunt, have lost everything. Her mountain home is gone. All she has left is four bags of belongings in an old Jeep.
The fire in my backyard near Las Vegas, NM, is now the largest in New Mexico history. At its current size, it's bigger than Albuquerque and Santa Fe combined -- that's bigger than New York City. This fire has laid waste to the lands that have sustained our communities for centuries -- dating back to Spanish land grants and preceding even the existence of New Mexico and the United States. Other fires are impacting tribal lands and our country’s first Wilderness in the Gila National Forest.
Our grandparents and great-grandparents built many of the homes with their blood, sweat, and tears. As the fires rage on, we're losing generations of culture, generations of existence -- their herds, their crops, their ranching way of life is gone. People are returning to barren land to salvage. It will be hard, if not impossible, for many to rebuild.
These wildfires are truly unprecedented. With each year that passes, fire season stretches earlier into the spring and later into the winter. As we experience the worst drought in at least 1,200 years, experts are cautioning that more fires could be on the horizon. We must cultivate resilience as the climate crisis' impacts continue to grow.
It's impossible to overstate the impact that these fires are having. On communities, on culture, and on our environment. We're still dealing with terrible air quality and smoke. Water quality warnings have been issued to most of the affected areas. In many rural areas, we're looking at a huge loss of population -- a housing crisis, inadequate supplies to rebuild, and a reduced workforce.
I can't help but wonder whether folks will ever return back to our area after being displaced. They say memories don't burn, but the things and places that trigger these memories do.
It still remains to be seen when we can get back to "normal." The unfortunate reality is that the climate crisis is here. With your help, we will begin to rebuild. But, the long-term safety of my community (and many others) relies on reducing climate pollution.
