Thousands flee New Mexico wildfire as blaze breaches containment lines

Residents of Las Vegas, New Mexico, have been forced to flee from the Cal Canyon fire, currently the largest burning in the US. Photograph: Eddie Moore/Albuquerque Journal/ZUMA/REX/Shutterstock

The largest active wildfire in the US has forced thousands from their homes in New Mexico, as unusually fast-spreading blazes dot the drought-stricken south-west.

The blaze, dubbed the Calf Canyon fire, has consumed more than 121,000 acres (49,000 hectares), or more than half the area of New York City, tearing through centuries-old settlements and vacation homes in forested mountains 30 miles (48km) north-east of Santa Fe.