The Silver fire contains to grow in southern New Mexico, now having burned 29 square miles in the Gila National Forest west of Hillsboro.
The number of firefighters and support personnel assigned to the lightning-caused fire has grown 478.
Firefighters are trying to protect structures such as the small village of Kingston. The fire has gotten as close as a quarter-mile to the old mining town whose 45 or so residents already have evacuated..
Fire management team spokesman Dave Shell says firefighters also are building a line on the fire's north side and working to keep the fire burning outside the national forest.
The fire started June 7. It's burning in extremely rugged mountainous area of dense forest where there hadn't been a fire for 100 years.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.