New Mexico fires burn over Memorial Day weekend amid drought

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Fires in New Mexico’s Gila National Forest have burned nearly 70 square miles after lightning strikes earlier this month.

Officials say fires are a part of the forest ecosystem, but they’re looking out for threats to property, sites of cultural significance, and infrastructure across the state as fire season heats up.

In Cuba, New Mexico, a small fire threatens oil and gas sites.

In the Gila, the Johnson Fire is approaching the Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument, a treasured pre-Colombian settlement preserved in rock.