Firefighters battling New Mexico blaze brace for windy conditions

More than 1,000 firefighters backed by bulldozers and aircraft were battling the largest active wildfire in the US after strong winds pushed it across some containment lines (Robert Browman//The Albuquerque Journal/AP)

More than 1,000 firefighters backed by bulldozers and aircraft were battling the largest active wildfire in the US after strong winds pushed it across some containment lines and closer to a small city in northern New Mexico.

Calmer winds on Saturday aided the firefighting effort after gusts accelerated the blaze’s advance to a point on Friday when “we were watching the fire march about a mile every hour”, said fire operations official Jayson Coil.