Wildfires in New Mexico destroyed more than 100 structures, covering an area of thousands of acres
The 3,000-acre McBride Fire in New Mexico destroyed an estimated 150 structures, including homes, and forced an evacuation of a high school Tuesday, officials said.
It’s one of the few major wildfires that has left the state in critical condition amid a red-flagged fire warning that has blanketed much of New Mexico this week.
On April 5, Albuquerque matched its 2021 record high temperature of 81 for this day. Warm, dry conditions last week nurtured the state’s first major fire this month, the Hermits Peak Fire, which has burned 7,900 acres and is 10% contained, according to the US Forest Service.
The fire started April 6 when sudden winds swept through a prescribed burn area in the Santa Fe National Forest and blew it beyond its boundaries, federal officials said. .
The change is among the worst-case scenarios released by the National Weather Service, which calls a combination of warm, windy and dry this week. “A recipe for critical fire weather.”
Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham urged New Mexicans to be vigilant.
“Watch out – just one spark can start a forest fire!” she said in a tweet.
The wildfire was the state’s biggest fire this week at 7,900 acres and 10 percent contained, according to the Forest Service.
The Hermits Peak Fire prompted local and federal officials to announce mandatory evacuation orders on Tuesday beneath the eastern slopes of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains that surround Santa Fe: San Ignacio, La Canada, Las Tusas, Manuelitas , Southwest Sapello, Canoncito and South Tierra Madre Canon .
About 190 miles south of Santa Fe, the McBride Fire started Tuesday afternoon and quickly spread into a massive blaze that threatened Ruidoso High School and the village of Ruidoso, which has declared a state of emergency.
Federal and state officials initially said Tuesday that the wildfire had already consumed 15,000 acres, but by evening, that number had been reassessed to 3,000. There were no obstructions on Tuesday night.
In a statement, Ruidoso attributed the reduction in size to a successful aerial gunfight. “The air strike update has reduced the estimated area,” it said.
About 1,700 students from middle schools and high schools were evacuated within 90 minutes of the order, the village said. Local schools were canceled on Wednesday.
No injuries were reported, but the area’s structural damage was the worst so far of the state’s four wildfires of concern this week. Ruidoso also lost power, officials said.
The Nogal Canyon fire started Tuesday in the Lincoln National Forest and spread to 20 acres without containment, state fire officials said in a statement late afternoon. There have been some updates and the latest acreage for the fire was not clear on Tuesday night.
State officials say the Big Hole Fire in Valencia County began Monday and grew to 850 acres by Tuesday afternoon. The fire was enough to threaten the closure of La Merced Elementary School in the Rio Community on Tuesday, and residents in the area were asked to prepare for possible evacuation orders.
State officials said the wildfire damaged or destroyed one home and 18 ancillary structures, such as a shed, garage and barn.
Flames were burning on both sides of the Rio Grande on Tuesday. Grisham speak The state has filed a request for Federal Emergency Management Agency funding that could help with additional resources to fight the Great Hole Fire.
High winds continue to be the engine of the state’s fires, with gusts of nearly 60 mph recorded Tuesday, according to the Albuquerque weather service office.
Federal forecasters say a cold snap is expected to bring stronger winds of up to 70 mph to parts of New Mexico overnight and won’t bring any relief aid in the form of rain, federal forecasters said.
Behind it is a warming trend accompanied by “more winds and severe fire danger through Sunday,” the weather agency said in a discussion of the forecast.
Todd Miyazawa contribute.
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