Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said the Hermits Peak/Calf Canyon Fire, the biggest in New Mexico history, could be responsible for the loss of between 1,000 to 1,500 homes and structures and displacing as many as 10,000 people.

In a news conference Tuesday, Lujan Grisham acknowledged she did not have hard figures — most recent estimates had put losses of homes at 366 — but added “given the nature of this fire … I don’t think it’s an exaggeration.”

Much of Tuesday’s news on the fire front came from outside the areas in Mora, Taos and San Miguel counties where the Hermits Peak/Calf Canyon blaze is being fought. Her comments came the same day two of the state’s national forests — the Santa Fe National Forest and Carson National Forest — announced they are closing Thursday because of the dry weather conditions and severity of the fire.

The orders remain in effect at both forests through the end of 2022 unless they are rescinded. Forest lands, recreational sites, roads and trails will be closed to the public. The 1.6 million-acre Santa Fe National Forest already had initiated restrictions on the building and use of campfires, smoking, or blasting or welding with an open flame on forest property.

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