Firefighters battle southwestern New Mexico wildfire sparked by lightning

<br>RESERVE, N.M. (AP) _ A wildfire has burned thousands of acres of a national forest in New Mexico, creeping within four miles of 20 summer homes and cabins. <br><br>Firefighters struggled Thursday to

Friday, April 5th 2002, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

RESERVE, N.M. (AP) _ A wildfire has burned thousands of acres of a national forest in New Mexico, creeping within four miles of 20 summer homes and cabins.

Firefighters struggled Thursday to control the lightning-caused fire, which had burned 37,000 acres in southwestern New Mexico.

Residents of the homes and cabins in the Elk Springs subdivision voluntarily evacuated Wednesday. The area appeared to have been spared, but the flames threatened the homes again Thursday.

Firefighters on Sunday had decided to keep a close watch on the 100-acre fire while allowing it to burn brush. But it roared out of control Wednesday morning and had scorched 10,000 acres by nightfall.

Over the next 24 hours, the blazed moved east and north across another 25,000 acres.

``It has kind of ballooned out,'' Gila National Forest spokeswoman Loretta Ray said.

Some roads in the 500,000-acre national forest were closed as air tankers dropped fire-retardant slurry on the fast-moving flames.

Last week, a fire roared through a subdivision in the Sacramento Mountains in New Mexico, forcing the evacuation of 1,300 people and destroying 28 homes. No one was injured.

With conditions dry and snowpack light, New Mexico's fire season has come several weeks early. In 2000, the state reported 2,466 fires covering 519,177 acres. Last year, 1,649 fires burned 38,890 acres. From Jan. 1 through March 20 this year, 61 fires burned 2,279 acres.