ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Winds and erratic flames forced firefighters to sit on the sidelines Thursday as a massive fire that destroyed a dozen homes and several other structures in small New Mexico community grew larger and put more buildings at risk.

Tripling in size over the last day, the lightning-sparked Whitewater and Baldy fires merged to burn across more than 110 square miles of the Gila National Forest by Thursday.

“At this point it’s just a monitoring situation to see whether (crews) can find some place where they can build lines or do something to slow it down,” said fire information officer Iris Estes.

The wind-whipped fire burned Wednesday afternoon through the Willow Creek subdivision, a small summer community in southwestern New Mexico. Officials confirmed 12 cabins along with seven small outbuildings were destroyed, and the damage assessment continued Thursday.

Fire managers said employees with the State Forestry Division and the U.S. Forest Service would be contacting property owners.

While some residents questioned whether fire managers could have done more early on to contain the blaze, others acknowledged that fighting flames in the area’s steep canyons was near impossible now.

“The fire had been around about 10 days, lurking and creeping and then kaboom, it exploded,” said Tabitha Sims, secretary of the Willow Creek Landowners Association. “They made a heroic effort at trying to build a break, but I think it was unfortunate that this wind event happened to come right at the worst time.”

Sims, an Arizona resident who owns a cabin at Willow Creek, said parts of the area were vulnerable due to a lack of fire over decades. She described Willow Creek as “an incredibly special spot” where generations of families have spent their summers.

“The people who have lifelong memories of going there, I just feel for them,” she said.

Seven Willow Creek residents evacuated earlier this week, and the community of Mogollon was under voluntary evacuation. Authorities said many structures were still at risk.

Firefighters were anticipating winds of up to 35 mph late Thursday afternoon.

In northern Nevada, high winds also were expected in an area where a fire broke out Tuesday, burned 7,500 acres and damaged two homes. Crews near the Nevada-California line raced to secure a line above a second rural community Thursday before the winds kicked up.

Meanwhile, firefighters in a rural part of California’s San Diego County fought a 1,200-acre wildfire that led to evacuation orders for 100 homes. Gusts of up to 45 mph were forecast in the area Thursday night.

In the Gila National Forest, the flames have raced across more than 70,500 acres of rugged terrain. The Baldy fire was first spotted May 9 and the Whitewater blaze was sparked May 16, but nearly all of the growth has come in recent days thanks to relentless winds.

There is no containment.

The blaze is about half the size of last summer’s historic Las Conchas fire, the largest in the state’s recorded history. That blaze burned 156,593 acres and destroyed dozens of homes in northern New Mexico’s Jemez Mountains.

With drought conditions persisting, New Mexico forestry officials have been urging residents to take precautions to help avoid another record fire season.

Many trails in the Gila region were off-limits due to the Whitewater-Baldy fire and more could be closed as the blaze continues to burn.

About 10 miles to the southeast, volunteers and staff at the Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument have been watching the column of smoke develop each afternoon.

“The plume above us yesterday was truly awesome. It was scary awesome,” said volunteer Dave Young.

The monument was not in any immediate danger, but Young described conditions in the area as “bone dry.”

“We’re talking single-digit humidity in the afternoon. We’ve been down to 1 percent, and you can’t get below 1 percent,” he said.

Aside from low humidity and high temperatures, Estes said crews were expecting the red flag conditions to last through Saturday.

More than 400 personnel were assigned to the fire.

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Follow Susan Montoya Bryan on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/susanmbryanNM

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Winds and erratic flames forced firefighters to sit on the sidelines Thursday as a massive fire that destroyed a dozen homes and several other structures in small New Mexico community grew larger and put more buildings at risk.

Tripling in size over the last day, the lightning-sparked Whitewater and Baldy fires merged to burn across more than 110 square miles of the Gila National Forest by Thursday.

“At this point it’s just a monitoring situation to see whether (crews) can find some place where they can build lines or do something to slow it down,” said fire information officer Iris Estes.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — It was one of the best places in the western United States to watch the annular solar eclipse, and people drove for days just to get to this dusty stretch west of Albuquerque.

Did it matter?

Some say no. The game of chasing celestial spectacles like Sunday’s eclipse has changed thanks to live webcasting by observatories around the world and social network sites that are being fueled by grainy smartphone photographs and video clips.

The National Park Service streamed the eclipse live on its website from Petroglyph National Monument, a remote expanse of prairie and long dormant basalt volcanoes that was situated directly in the path of the eclipse.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — They come from Canada, both coasts of the United States and everywhere in between.

More than 3,000 Native American and indigenous dancers and singers are gathering in Albuquerque as tens of thousands of spectators join in for the 29th Annual Gathering of Nations.

Organizers bill it as one of the world’s largest powwows. It features three days of dancing, native foods, crafts, jewelry and the crowing of Miss Indian World.

For Caleen Sisk, tribal chief of Northern California’s Winnemem Wintu Tribe, it’s also about celebrating the differences among native people. More than 500 tribes are represented at this year’s event.

Sisk says the gathering reminds the rest of the nation that tribal people are still around and still practicing their traditional ways of life.

The event wraps up late Saturday with the winning dancers receiving awards.

TIJERAS, N.M. (AP) — The chief of the U.S. Forest Service says he expects this year’s fire season to be as active as last year, when historic fires charred hundreds of square miles in Arizona, New Mexico, Texas and elsewhere.

Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell says the Southwest remains dry and the middle part of the country could have a more severe season this year.

Tidwell says federal scientists are monitoring weather patterns and trying to make accurate predictions so resources can be placed in the areas where they’ll be needed most.

Tidwell joined U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and other officials for a conference call Thursday to address the nation’s preparedness.

Vilsack says the agencies are taking their responsibility seriously given that lives and property are at stake.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — U.S. Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Kathleen Merrigan sees an epidemic of sorts sweeping across America’s farmland.

The country’s farmers and ranchers are getting older and there are fewer people standing in line to take their place.

New Mexico has the highest average age of farmers and ranchers of any state at nearly 60 years old, and neighboring Arizona and Texas aren’t far behind. Nationally, the latest agricultural census figures show the fastest growing group of farmers and ranchers are those over age 65.

Merrigan is making stops at universities around the country in hopes of encouraging more students to think about agricultural careers.

She was in New Mexico and Arizona last week. This week, she has stops planned at the University of Colorado in Denver and Michigan State University.