Grass Fires Hard on New Mexico Area

HOBBS, N.M. --

Firefighters in Hobbs are closely watching for hot spots at the site of a massive grass fire.

The flames ignited Friday afternoon and charred 74,000 acres by the end of the weekend.

Firefighters said the blaze was 100 percent contained Sunday night. But, some families lost everything. Eight homes in Hobbs were destroyed by the flames.

Thousands of acres of rural land in Lea County were also scorched during the blaze. Much of that land was used by cattle for grazing. Now, many dairy farmers are worried about the fire's impact on their bottom line.

Many people had others drive in emergency bales of hay from as far away as Colorado to try to keep the cattle alive.