on track to far outpace the 10-year average. Nationally, large fires have burned more than 1,688 square miles (4,372 square kilometers) this year, putting the U.S. Near Flagstaff, crews patrolled burned areas of a different large fire and looked for hot spots amid milder weather.

In Arizona, crews on Wednesday worked to contain two major wildfires, with firefighters gaining ground on containment of a blaze in the Prescott National Forest after winds on Tuesday pushed the fire outward. The fire was about three-quarters contained Wednesday. More than 200 firefighters in that state were battling a prairie fire that has been burning since last week.ДЄbout 65 square miles (168 square kilometers) of mostly grasses and farmland have been blackened near the Kansas line, several homes have been destroyed and at least one person was killed. One complex incident management team was overseeing a large fire in southwest Nebraska. The Southwest has been bearing the brunt of large fires, with five incident management teams assigned, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. вЂњWe have to make sure that everything is good enough that I can make decision and know you'll be safe if we let you back in there,вЂќ he said. вЂњWe have containment around the fire's edge, but there's still stuff that's burning inside and we still have a wind event we are waiting for Friday and Saturday,вЂќ Lopez said. вЂњThe danger is present and itвЂ™s very real.вЂќДЄuthorities said Wednesday they continue to work on damage assessments but haven't been able to access some areas that are still hot and it's not yet safe to let some evacuees return to their homes. вЂњIt doesnвЂ™t mean it will happen but it could happen, just like we saw when this fire blew up,' he said. San Miguel County Sheriff Chris Lopez said at Wednesday night's briefing about the fires east of Santa Fe that they're refining evacuation strategies they were forced to quickly implement last week as they review weather modeling of the incoming conditions. But stiffening winds Wednesday likely dried out most of the fine fuels, which are вЂњare expected to be borderline critically dryвЂќ on Thursday, the service said. Some light precipitation added moisture to bone dry fuels in the Southwest early this week. The elevated-risk area stretches all the way from ArizonaвЂ™s border with California and Nevada into the Texas and Oklahoma panhandles, the service said late Wednesday. The most critical fire danger remains the next two days across practically the entire state of New Mexico, according to the National Weather Service. вЂњWe have a couple of critical fire days still ahead.' вЂњThis fire still has tremendous potential to move and still has a lot of danger,вЂќ he said. вЂњFire personnel are making great progress,вЂќ he told residents at a community meeting in Las Vegas, New Mexico, where numerous rural communities in the nearby mountains remain under evacuation orders.Д«ut he quickly emphasized the success could be short-lived because hotter, drier, windier weather should return Thursday and Friday.

вЂњAnother great day on the fire line,' federal fire incident commander Carl Schwope said Wednesday night. now 94 square miles (245 kilometers) - and keep flames from reaching mostly rural homes and ranches that are still in its path northeast of Santa Fe. Other agencies and organizations that have offered condolences are the Clark County Fire Department, Henderson Police, the Federal Bureau of Investigation Las Vegas, and more.Дetective Terry is survived by his wife and two sons.That allowed crews to dig fire lines around about a third of what has become the largest wildfire burning in the U.S. Nye CountyвЂ™s Sheriff Office has ordered all NCSO personnel to shroud their badges in honor of Det. The City of Las Vegas said in a tweet, вЂњOur thoughts and prayers are with LVMPD and the family of Detective Justin Terry who tragically passed away this morning in a car accident.вЂќ The Las Vegas Police Protection Association, which represents Metro Officers, told KTNV, вЂњNot only is this loss felt by all first responders in Nevada, but the community at large has also lost one of its heroes.вЂќ

Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this difficult time.вЂќ вЂњDetective Terry was a dedicated public servant who made our community a better place to live, and he will be sorely missed. вЂњOn behalf of all Clark County residents, we join with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department in mourning the tragic death of Detective Justin Terry,вЂќ Clark County Commission Chairman Jim Gibson said. Most recently, he served in our Homicide Sex Crimes Bureau. He served this department for nearly 21 years in a variety of roles. We are mourning the loss of LVMPD Detective Justin Terry.

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