Firefighters battling fierce New Mexico wildfires may get help from Mother Nature

Roswell, New Mexico. – Cooler weather – and possibly rain – could bring some relief this week to firefighters battling wildfires in southern New Mexico that have killed one person, damaged hundreds of structures and forced thousands to evacuate.

Strong winds pushed the larger of the two wildfires into the mountain village of Ruidoso, forcing residents to evacuate. run away immediately without warning. Weather patterns are expected to change Wednesday with moisture from a tropical wave in the Gulf of Mexico, said Joshua Schroeder of the National Weather Service in Albuquerque.

“Today was really our last dry day,” he said Tuesday night. “Rainfall will peak on Thursday and taper off over the weekend.”

On the downside, he said, some wind changes would be possible on Wednesday, and rain could lead to flash flooding in recently burned areas.

Ruidoso and much of the Southwest have been extremely dry and hot this spring. These conditions, along with strong wind, sent the flames out of control on Monday and Tuesday, quickly advancing the fire from the South Fork into the village. Along with homes and businesses, a regional medical center and the Ruidoso Downs horse racing track were evacuated.

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s office confirmed one death as a result of the fire but said it had no further details.

The New Mexico Division of Forestry said about 1,400 structures were estimated to be lost in Tuesday’s South Fork Fire. It was not clear how many were houses. The division said the fire consumed nearly 60 square kilometers and was zero percent contained.

“They’re working on the edges of the fire. They’re trying to get some type of containment and also resources are involved in protecting the structure, which is getting ahead of the fire and doing what we can to try to save some homes,” George Ducker, coordinator of communications of the Forestry Division, told CBS Albuquerque affiliate KRQE-TV.

The other wildfire in the region, dubbed Salt Fire, spread to about 13 square kilometers and was also zero percent contained, the division said.

Ardis Holder left Ruidoso with her two young daughters, her gas tank nearly empty and praying they would make it out safely. She was sure that the house she rented in the village where she grew up was gone, based on the maps she saw.

“We were already seeing where the fire hit, it’s everywhere,” she said Tuesday night from a shelter outside Roswell. “If there’s anything standing, that’s amazing. But if not, we were prepared for the worst.”

Lujan Grisham declared a countywide state of emergency that extended to the nearby Mescalero Apache Reservation, where both fires started, and sent in National Guard troops. The declaration unlocks additional funding and resources to manage the crisis.

Across the country, wildfires have devastated more than 3,280 square miles this year – a value higher than the 10-year averages, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. About 20 wildfires currently raging are considered large and uncontrolled, including fires in California and Washington state.

The exact causes of the fires in New Mexico have not been determined, but the Southwest Coordination Center has listed them as human-caused.

“We are mobilizing all available resources to control these fires,” she said.

Although many older residents live in Ruidoso year-round, the population of about 7,000 people expands to about 25,000 during the warmer months, when New Mexicans and Texans from warmer climates seek the cool of the leafy aspen trees. shivering, hiking trails and a chance to go fishing.

Situated in the Lincoln National Forest, Ruidoso offers nearby amenities including a casino, golf course, and ski resort operated by the Mescalero Apache Tribe. Horse racing at Ruidoso Downs also draws crowds as it hosts one of the sport’s richest quarter horse competitions.

Ruidoso residents fled Monday through congested downtown streets, some described as apocalyptic, with smoke darkening the night sky, falling embers and 100-foot-high flames rising along a mountain range.

The evacuation order came so quickly that Christy Hood and her husband, Richard, only had time to pick up their two children and two dogs. Heavy traffic at the exit turned what should have been a 15-minute drive into a harrowing two-hour ordeal.

“As we were leaving, there were flames in front of me and next to me,” said Hood, a real estate agent in Ruidoso. “And all the animals were just running – attacking – trying to get out.”

In social media posts, Ruidoso officials did not mince words: “GO NOW: Do not attempt to collect belongings or secure your home. Evacuate immediately.”

When Jacquie and Ernie Escajeda left church Monday in Ruidoso, they saw smoke rising above a mountain behind their home.

They kept an eye on their cell phones and turned on the radio for updates. There was no “get ready” or “get ready” — it was just “go,” Ernie Escajeda said. They took legal documents and other belongings and left.

On Tuesday, the couple received a call from friends who are vacationing in Utah but have a home in Ruidoso that they said was destroyed, Jacquie Escajeda said.

“They lost their house,” she said. “There is only one house in the entire small division where they live, so there are a lot of lost structures. We have no idea if we will have a home to go to.”

The New Mexico Public Utility Company cut power to part of the village due to the fire.

Lujan Grisham said cell phone service has been affected in some communities near the fire and cell towers are being installed to restore communications.

Amid highway closures, many evacuees had no choice but to flee east and to the city of Roswell, 75 miles away, where hotels and shelters quickly filled up. A rural gas station along the evacuation route was overrun by people and cars.