New Mexico is facing a potentially devastating wildfire season this year after experiencing record-setting fires over the past two years.
The Albuquerque Journal reports that this season is shaping up to be one of the worst as a decade of drought drains moisture from forest fuels and average temperatures continue to rise.
Almost 600,000 acres of state and private land were burned in fiscal year 2011.
In 2011, Las Conchas Fire near Los Alamos became the largest recorded fire in state history and charred more than 150,000 acres.
That same year, the Wallow fire became the largest fire in Arizona history and spilled into New Mexico.
Last year, the Little Bear Fire near Ruidoso became the most destructive fire in state history.
It destroyed more than 250 buildings.