RESERVE, N.M. - Hundreds of firefighters worked on Saturday keep a 37,000-acre wildfire from spreading, despite gusty wind and lightning that were accompanied by only a little rain. <br>
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The fire in the Gila National Forest was about 40 percent contained, unchanged from Friday. <br>
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Crews worked to clear brush and create a fire break around about 20 summer cabins in the Elk Springs subdivision, fire information officer Dave Wells said. The subdivision was about 3 to 4 miles northwest of the fire in southwestern New Mexico and no homes were in immediate danger, he said. <br>
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Thunderstorms moved into the area Saturday and wind was expected to gust to 35 mph on the ridge tops, Wells said.<br>
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``The winds will still be a challenge for the firefighters,'' he added. <br>
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Forest officials were not predicting when the fire might be contained, Wells said. <br>
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The fire was burning in meadows, grass and brush among ponderosa pines at an elevation of about 7,000 feet. <br>
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About 550 firefighters, plus 11 air tankers, two helicopters, 27 engines and six bulldozers were assigned to the blaze. <br>
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Last week, a fire roared through a subdivision in central New Mexico's Sacramento Mountains near Ruidoso, forcing the evacuation of 1,300 people and destroying 28 homes. No one was injured by the 972-acre blaze.
