Smoke From New Mexico Wildfires Hangs Over El Paso

Wildfires burning through Southern New Mexico cause an increase of smoke over El Paso.

Early Sunday morning the thick haze that hung over the Franklin Mountains obscured it’s peaks.

While the air quality can be a problematic for people with asthma or respiratory conditions, there was actually some good news about that fires burning nearly 170 miles away.

While 350 square miles of the Gila National Forest have been torched officials said the containment zone has increased to 17% over the weekend.

As the containment zone grows, fire officials said, people will begin to return home.

The evacuation order of the town of Mogollon which was put in place last weekend is expected to be lifted by Monday, allowing some residents to return home.

Crews said they expect to get the flames under control within a two-week time frame.

Winds are expected to continue to blow from the north, pushing more smoke from New Mexico into Texas.