By KRWG News
New Mexico – The New Mexico Forestry Division's fire information officer says 2010 is shaping up to have a more normal fire season than the last three years, when dry weather helped spark wildfires as early as January.
Dan Ware says most fires break out in May through July in a normal year, then fire season ends with the August monsoon rains.
This year, both the Lincoln and Gila national forests in southern New Mexico reported fires in March.
Ware says northeastern New Mexico could face the highest wildfire risk this summer because of its abundant grasslands.
Springs winds already have dried out the plains of eastern New Mexico, raising the fire risk.
New Mexico's wet winter allowed public land managers to conduct prescribed burns to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfires.
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Information from: The Santa Fe New Mexican, http://www.sfnewmexican.com
Copyright 2010 The Associated Press.