For the second year in a row, firefighters in New Mexico find themselves battling a record-breaking blaze.

Wednesday morning, fire officials reported that the Whitewater-Baldy fire had torched 170,272 acres since lightning triggered two fires May 9 and May 16 that merged to become the current conflagration.

Fire officials say the potential for the fire's growth remains high. The Whitewater-Baldy fire is burning in the Gila National Forest in the southwest corner of the state, feeding on expanses of Ponderosa pine, junipers, grasses, and large areas of dead and downed trees. Extremely rugged terrain is making it difficult to control the blaze.