Hundreds of firefighters assigned to a blaze that has destroyed two dozen homes and charred 28 square miles in central New Mexico are making progress with more favorable weather.
Crews were helped Monday by double-digit humidity levels, cooler temperatures and cloud cover.
They have established at least some kind of line all the way around the fire burning in the Manzano Mountains using bulldozers, natural features in the terrain and hand-clearing by firefighters over the last few days.
Still, fire information officer James Stone says the blaze is considered only 9 percent contained while crews bolster those lines to ensure there's no chance of the flames running beyond the perimeter.
Stone said there will be a big effort Monday to patrol the perimeter and look for any hot spots.
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