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Residents of San Miguel, Mora, Taos and Colfax counties are advised to remain on \"high alert\" Tuesday for evacuation updates and road closures, officials said.

Firefighters faced unfavorable wind conditions, warming temperatures and severe dry conditions since the Hermits Peak and Calf Canyon fires ignited in early April.

\"The challenge of predicting how wildfires move, the best experts in the world on this topic still are not going to get it right,\" Dr. Jason Knievel, deputy director for the National Center for Atmospheric Research, told Albuquerque ABC affiliate KOAT this week.

\"PHOTO:A
Maxar Technologies via Reuters
PHOTO:A satellite image shows a natural color view of active fire lines from the Hermits Peak and Calf Canyon fires, near Las Vegas, May 11, 2022.
>

There is a mix of conifer trees, ponderosa pine, brush and grass where the fire is now -- and \"critically dry fuels\" may increase fire activity, fire officials warned Tuesday. The fire is burning near an area with steep terrain, which can also help spread the fire, according to Knievel.

\"Fire tends to move uphill,\" he said.

\"PHOTO:
Adria Malcolm/Reuters
PHOTO: Michael Salazar walks at his property burned during the Hermits Peak and Calf Canyon fires, in Tierra Monte, N.M., May 11, 2022.
>

New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham declared a state of emergency in several counties last month as multiple wildfires burned, including the Hermits Peak-Calf Canyon fire.

President Joe Biden called Grisham Tuesday to discuss the historic wildfire.

“The President reaffirmed that the people of New Mexico will have the full support of the federal government, and that every effort will be made to provide immediate help to people in the impacted communities and support the State throughout its recovery,” according to a readout of the call. \"The President expressed his gratitude to all of the first responders, firefighters, and other federal, state, and local personnel who are battling the blazes and have come to the aid of those who have been impacted by the fires.\"

Biden approved a disaster declaration earlier this month for New Mexico that brings financial resources to the areas battling the fires.

Thousands of residents have been forced to evacuate and hundreds of structures have been destroyed due to the recent wildfire activity, the governor noted in a letter to Biden last week requesting additional aid.

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