The Four Lakes Fire, which burned 25,000 to 30,000 acres of grassland in Lea County on Wednesday, was whipped back into activity by high winds today, state Forestry Division spokesman Dan Ware told ABQjournal.com.

The fire began along U.S. 380 west of Tatum, which is about 70 miles east of Roswell, around 3 p.m. Wednesday -- about the same time winds caused the Trigo Fire in the Manzano Mountains to flare up again, according to KOAT-TV and the Roswell Daily Record.

The fire moved from around mile marker 214 on U.S. 380, some 15 miles west of Tatum, then spread east across N.M. 206, the Record reported.

Just one structure, an abandoned building, has been destroyed in the fire so far, Ware told us. 

Some 15 fire departments, including the Bureau of Land Management and volunteer firefighters from Hobbs, Sierra, Berrendo and Dexter and fire trucks from Chaves County worked on containing the fire well into the night.

Although crews were doing mopup work this morning, winds kicked up again today and sparked new fire activity but largely within containment lines, Ware said.

Texas firefighters were on alert, but the fire so far hadn't spread across the nearby state line, Ware told ABQjournal.com.

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