More than 180,000 gallons of water has been delivered to fire crews.

More than 180,000 gallons of water has been delivered to fire crews.

The latest breaking updates, delivered straight to your email inbox.

More than 180,000 gallons of water has been delivered to fire crews.

The Calf Canyon and Hermits Peak fire is causing destruction in northern New Mexico.

At least 166 homes or structures have been destroyed and more than 1,800 personnel are on the ground battling the flames.

Of that, some are members of the New Mexico Air National Guard. For the last two weeks, they've been delivering more than 180,000 gallons of water to fire crews on the front lines.

"We have a 5,000-gallon tanker out here at the bottom of the base of the fire areas. We access water for all the fire departments and fire trucks, to come in to top off and fill up so they can head back to the fire," said Sgt. John Raymer with the New Mexico Air National Guard.

This saves fire crews roughly an hour of travel time.

"We have a water pump set up in a pond in Buena Vista that we fill and top off there. And we also have a local water hole in Mora," Raymer said.

The four-man team with the New Mexico National Guard has been assisting with the fire for two weeks.

"We have so many within just the hour, lined up with different fire trucks, even rigs, and also the local communities filling up their water tanks as well for their own house. That it's just it's an endless amount all day long," Raymer said.

The team also assists local fire crews like the Buena Vista Volunteer Fire Department, in structure protection.

Assistant Fire Chief Joshua Martinez and his department of roughly 12 people lay hose lines around homes, trying to do what they can to save each structure. At times, the New Mexico National Guard was right beside them, lending a helping hand. On top of that, they've also found ways to restore water in nearby communities.

"In Buena Vista itself, we helped with getting their water system back up, help them rebuild their water pump because it went down for all the power outages," Raymer said.

That community is still without power.

The unit works roughly 12- to 13-hour days and is slated to assist with the Hermits Peak and Calf Canyon Fire until May 31.

Hearst Television participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites.