Governor of US state seeks disaster status amid battle to control wildfire

Plumes of smoke from wildfires near Las Vegas, New Mexico (Jasper Bives via AP)

New Mexico’s governor has asked President Joe Biden to declare a disaster as firefighters scrambled to clear brush, build fire lines and spray water to keep the largest blaze burning in the US from destroying more homes in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains.

During a briefing on the fire burning across the state’s north-east, governor Michelle Lujan Grisham signed a request for a presidential disaster declaration that will be sent to the White House in the hope of freeing up financial assistance for recovery efforts.