RUIDOSO, N.M. – Two wildfires threatening towns and villages in south-central New Mexico continued to grow Wednesday, leaving a trail of destruction and forcing the evacuations of thousands of residents.
The South Fork and Salt fires have burned a combined 20,000 acres on tribal and federal land around the village of Ruidoso in south-central New Mexico, and both fires remain 0% contained.
Officials say about 1,400 buildings have been destroyed and several more are at risk as the weather starts to become unsettled.
“Today we are facing two devastating, massive fires,” New Mexico Gov. Michelle Luann Grisham said at a news conference on Tuesday, just hours after declaring a state of emergency.
Firefighters reported treating two people with non-life-threatening injuries during the evacuation, Grisham said at a news conference, adding that there were no confirmed reports of other injuries or deaths.
Grisham said seven patients had been evacuated from the town’s hospital and another 17 residents had been transported to safety from a nursing home.
The larger South Fork fire was discovered around 9 a.m. Monday and grew rapidly by the afternoon. New Mexico forestry officials Wind gusts reaching 20-30 mph and low humidity fueled the flames, resulting in “extreme fire behavior.”
The fire began spreading through Ruidoso late Monday night, leading officials to call for the immediate evacuation of the entire village and surrounding areas.
“Please do not gather your belongings or try to defend your home.” Village officials made the appeal on social media.. “I’m going now.”
Emergency officials set up evacuation centers near Roswell and offered space at the state fairgrounds to house displaced livestock.
As of Tuesday evening, the wildfire had burned 15,276 acres. According to city authoritiesMore than 800 firefighters and paramedics are currently on scene.
The New Mexico National Guard has deployed more than 40 Army and Air National Guard members to assist state police at traffic checkpoints.
“Travel around the eastern and southern parts of the state is not only not permitted because roads are closed, but is not recommended even when roads are open,” Grisham said.
The cause of the fire is currently under investigation.
Nearby salt fire prompts evacuations
Firefighters have their hands full not only dealing with the South Fork Fire, but also the Salt Fire burning on the nearby Mescalero Reservation.
The fire had grown to more than 5,500 acres by Tuesday evening, forcing residents in the area to evacuate.
“The fire is currently spreading rapidly toward Ruidoso Downs and poses an immediate threat to the area,” fire officials said.
“The weather is changing right now.”
So far, the weather has been generally hot, dry and windy for firefighters, but a rear cold front that could bring severe weather is approaching and will bring new challenges to firefighting efforts.
“We’re seeing fluctuating weather conditions right now,” Grisham said. “Winds are just shifting right now. We’ve had steady southwest winds since the start of the fire.”
But forecasters now expect winds to shift to the southeast Tuesday night, with gusts up to 45 mph.
“The shift in wind direction is a little concerning,” New Mexico State Forester Laura McCarthy said, “With these winds, it could potentially affect a lot more homes before this back door winds its way through and back out the other direction.”
The front could bring some needed rain, but it may be too much and come too quickly in some areas, and flood watches are currently in effect for areas recently affected by fires.
“Heavy rainfall may cause flash flooding in low-lying areas, flooding of roads in urban areas and debris flows in and near recent wildfire burn areas,” warned meteorologists with the National Weather Service in Albuquerque.
NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center has categorized the area as Level 1 out of 5 storm danger levels, which means the storm could also be accompanied by wind gusts of more than 60 mph and large hail.
“From a weather perspective, that’s both bad news and good news,” Grisham said, “and it also means that this fire is going to be dynamic, at least until we see how much rain we get and the effect that rain has on changing or mitigating the fire’s behavior.”
Meanwhile, Grisham marveled at how the local community and state have come together to help those in need.
“The men and women and their families who are putting their lives on the line — state police, firefighters, (state) guards — are doing an incredible job,” she said. “And the number of New Mexicans who are taking it upon themselves to help move livestock and supplies and offering their homes as shelters shows me once again the generosity and compassion of the people of this state.”
