Some evacuations lifted as teams continue to battle New Mexico wildfires

RUIDOSO, NM — Authorities lifted several evacuation orders for a drought-stricken mountain community in southern New Mexico as firefighters worked Saturday to contain it. fire blown by the wind that killing two people and destroyed more than 200 houses.

Ruidoso Village spokesman Kerry Gladden told The Associated Press on Saturday that the evacuation order lifted late Friday has covered about 60 percent of the estimated 4,500 people ordered to leave their homes since it was announced. the fire started on Tuesday. Previous evacuation estimates were reported at around 5,000 people.

“The big story is that we are in resettlement mode,” Gladden said earlier in a media briefing.

Officials said the evacuation orders in place could be lifted in the coming days.

Those waiting to return include Barbara Arthur, owner of a 28-acre wooded RV park that was killed by the wind but not burned.

“We feel lucky,” said Arthur, who on Saturday was staying at a motel and preparing tacos ingredients to take to another RV park for dinner with people displaced by the fire. , including some of her tenants.

Arthur said the fire broke out half a mile from her park and she saw it while evacuating. “It was the scariest thing I’ve experienced in my 71 years of life,” she said.

Bob Moroney, who works for a company that manages nightly rentals at Ruidoso River Resort, said three different groups, about 15 people in total, had been displaced by the fire and were staying in apartments. at the complex.

“These are really people who go to work in the morning and never come home,” he said. They point down the chimney and foundation at this point. “

Moroney, a qualified broker for Keller Williams Casa Ideal, says that for now, displaced people are just trying to get some relief as they figure out insurance and other next steps.

Fire Incident Commander Dave Bales said crews worked to extinguish hot spots and clear lines along the perimeter of the fire to prevent the fire from spreading. The fire is unlikely to be contained but Bales expressed satisfaction with the work completed so far and the outlook for the days to come.

Weather conditions on Saturday looked favorable with winds down and humidity rising, Bales said. “We have inner lanes,” he said. We just wanted to make sure they kept that wind up.

The fire and wind spread knocked out power lines and knocked out power to 18,000 customers. Wilson Guinn, manager of Public Service Co., said power was restored to all but a few dozen customers.

But people returning to their homes need to exercise caution and call utility officials if they experience downed lines, Guinn said.

“We may have missed something,” Guinn said. “Don’t try to touch them, fix them, roll them up, whatever.”

Gladden, a spokesman for the village, said residents should also be aware that strong winds earlier in the week may have damaged trees and could still fall or lose limbs.

“The important thing is that what started this whole event was a big wind storm,” she said.

The hotline lit up Friday afternoon when residents reported more smoke, which fire information officer Mike De Fries said was caused by an outbreak inside the fire when the blaze found bags of unburnt fuel. .

The fire started in the vicinity and then spread to more distant areas, De Fries said on Saturday. Authorities are investigating the cause.

“What you have here in Ruidoso is where many houses were destroyed, many houses destroyed in the neighborhoods,” De Fries said. “And then there’s the clear evidence and traces of the fire as it moved further north and west and in some cases the vicinity as it burned north and east of Ruidoso Village.”

Authorities have yet to release the identities of the dead couple. Their bodies were found after worried family members contacted police, saying the pair had planned to evacuate Tuesday when the fire broke out but were not rescued later in the day. there.

As of Saturday, the fire had consumed 9.6 square miles of wood and brush.

Hotter and drier weather along with decades of firefighting have contributed to the increase in the number of acres burned by wildfires, scientists say. The problem was exacerbated by a 20-year-long super-drought in the West that has been linked to anthropogenic climate change studies.

There are other fires in the state, including the smaller Nogal Canyon fire northwest of Ruidoso. De Fries said the fire was caused by a collapsed power line and destroyed six homes and eight outbuildings. People have been ordered to leave the area.

“We are now at a point, albeit very early in the year, where places like New Mexico have had extra extremely dry weather,” De Fries said. “Combine that with some wind, and you can see the number of fires going on and the number of new fires starting on a daily and weekly basis that fire condition is a big concern.”

Ruidoso was the site of the deadliest wildfire in New Mexico’s recorded history a decade ago when more than 240 homes burned and nearly 70 square miles of forest were blackened by a flash of lightning.

While many older residents call Ruidoso home year-round, the population of about 8,000 grows to about 25,000 during the summer months as Texans and New Mexicans from hotter climates seek respite.

at Blogtuan.info – Source: nbcnews.com – Read the original article here