Wind-driven wildfires damaged hundreds of houses in northern New Mexico and caused thousands to abandon mountain settlements in the arid US southwest earlier this year.

State officials said that two flames joined north of Las Vegas, New Mexico, and raced through 15 miles (24 kilometers) of woodland, fueled by gusts of up to 75 mph (121 kilometers per hour). They destroyed more than 200 structures.

To the northeast, a fire approximately 35 miles west of Taos nearly doubled in size, prompting the evacuation of a scout ranch and posing a threat to numerous settlements.

The flames are the most serious of roughly two dozen in the US southwest, raising concerns about the region facing a devastating fire season due to decades of drought and an abundance of dry vegetation.

By Saturday, five counties in New Mexico had been declared states of emergency after the governor's declaration of one for Mora county. On Friday, she proclaimed a state of emergency in Colfax, Lincoln, San Miguel, and Valencia counties.

"We're in for a longer, more dangerous, and more dramatic fire season," Lujan Grisham told reporters, noting that the state has 20 active fires due to Friday's "unprecedented" wind storm.

On Saturday, winds and temperatures in New Mexico slowed but remained strong enough to ignite fires, and dozens of evacuation orders remained in effect.

Lujan Grisham stated that over 200 structures have burnt but did not provide precise locations or numbers of residences included in that total.

She urged locals to abstain from pyrotechnics and trash burning and evacuate when fire warnings are issued. "You must depart. "The dangers are far too great," she stated.

Calf Canyon and Hermits Peak fire near Las Vegas combined with burning 42,341 acres (171 square kilometers), an area larger than Disney World in Florida. The governor said evacuations were expanded to a half-dozen additional regions, including the village of Mora.

According to scientists, climate change has reduced winter snowpacks and accelerated the initiation of larger, more severe fires.

The Cooks Peak fire, located west of Taos, nearly doubled in size to 48,672 acres, forcing the evacuation of the Philmont Scout Ranch and posing a threat to the community of Cimarron.

As of Saturday, New Mexico had the most significant wildfires burning. However, neighboring Arizona also saw extensive burns, with flames reaching 100ft (30 meters) this week racing through rural areas near Flagstaff.

Elsewhere in the region, the National Weather Service reported that the fire threat in the Denver area was the greatest in almost a decade on Friday, owing to unseasonably warm temperatures in the 80s (26C-32C) mixed with strong winds and arid conditions.