BTN News: A fast-moving wildfire continued to grow near the picturesque village of Ruidoso, New Mexico on Monday prompting mandatory evacuations for residents. The blaze, called the South Fork Fire, was found Thursday morning and expanded rapidly all day, leading to emergency actions to protect over 7,000 residents.
Evacuation Orders and Emergency Measures Now in Effect
Shortly before 7 p.m., a chilling post appeared on the village government’s Facebook page with notice the situation was as dire as ever, urging a mandatory “go now” evacuation of the Village of Ruidoso. As of 11:30 p.m. Monday, the blaze had burned over 5,000 acres with the New Mexico Forestry Division estimating that 5,252 acres had been torched.
The fire doubled in size quickly and displayed extreme fire behavior, making containment 0% through the morning. The evacuation order was blunt: Get out without trying to save your valuables or defend your home.
Outdoor Shelters and Crisis Support
The Red Cross also opened an emergency shelter this (TUE) morning for those who have had to evacuate their homes. Highways 48 and 70 were shut down at different times to get drivers out safely and to help with emergency response along critical corridors.
“Here we were getting ready to sit down to a meal and the alert came on: Evacuate now, don’t take anything or plan to pack anything, just evacuate,” said Mary Lou Minic, a resident who fled to an evacuation center in Roswell, according to KOB of Albuquerque. “…and three to five minutes later, we were in the car driving out.
Community and Tribal Efforts
Hot ash was falling in parts of Alto, just north of Ruidoso, from the fire. Door-to-door efforts of the Mescalero Apache Tribe proved key in getting people out safely. The tribe also established an evacuation center at the Inn of the Mountain Gods Convention Center and asked non-essential tribal employees to help out.
Also, the town of Ruidoso was working with its power supplier, PNM, to de-energize areas of the town as first-responders requested it to avoid more hazards.
Firefighting and Residual Risks
Firefighters from around the region including Alamogordo were mobilized to help fight the fire. On Tuesday morning, the glowing interior of the fire had diminished, but a thick smoke continued to shroud the city and remind everyone of the constant danger.
Broader Impact and Causal Attentions
The South Fork Fire is still under investigation for a cause. The wildfire outbreak comes during “red flag” warnings for parts of the American Southwest, indicating conditions with high possibilities for fires because of dry conditions and gusty winds.
In a related development, a wildfire in Calaveras County in California led to emergency evacuations as well. Dubbed the Aero Fire, it scorched just under 1,900 acres and caused some 5,000 people to lose power.
While Ruidoso and Ruidoso residents continue to confront this crisis, it is clear that emergency services and community assistance and support are critical to protecting the community and responding to the impact of the wildfire.
