SANTA FE, N.M., June 4 (Reuters) – Wildfires raged across the western United States on Tuesday, including one that saw flames crest a New Mexico peak that is sacred to Native Americans, while firefighters were getting a handle on a blaze in California.

In New Mexico, flames have been spotted atop Redondo Peak, which is sacred to the Jemez Pueblo tribe and other Pueblo Indians, said Jan Bardwell, a spokeswoman for the incident management team handling the blaze.

Intense drought in New Mexico, California and other parts of the nation could increase the danger of wildfires this season, which has gotten off to an early and intense start.

“We are really experiencing one of the most extreme days we’ve had in the last week or so,” said Dan Ware, spokesman for the New Mexico State Forestry Division, adding that low humidity around the Thompson Ridge Fire was making trees easy to burn.

That blaze, burning 40 miles (64 km) west of Santa Fe in the Valles Caldera National Preserve, has burned 4,451 acres (1,801 hectares) and was only 5 percent contained on Tuesday as it tore through mixed conifer and ponderosa pine.

On the other side of Santa Fe, firefighters fought to protect up to 100 summer homes from burning as the Tres Lagunas Fire continued to throw spot fires up to a half mile ahead of the main blaze.

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