Officials expect South Fork Fire and Ruidoso Salt Fire to slow

Lina Portman2 weeks ago

0 2 minutes read

The two wildfires that have ravaged thousands of acres around Ruidoso, New Mexico, in recent days are easing thanks to rainy weather.

At a press conference Thursday (June 20) in Alamogordo, New Mexico, fire behavior analyst Arthur Gonzales reported that the heavy precipitation that hit the area Wednesday, accompanied by cloud cover, “really slowed down the momentum of this fire.

With similar conditions expected over the next few days, Gonzales expects “very little spread.”

More: President Biden declares major disaster in New Mexico, approves federal aid: live updates

Still, crews are on the ground in both zones with a difficult task ahead: Information released during the press conference showed nearly 1,000 people working in the two zones, which have already seen about 24,000 acres burned and still 0% containment.

However, Dave Gesser, incident commander for the Southwest Zone No. 5 Incident Management Team, said he expects the containment to intensify in the coming days as weather rainy weather will allow fire crews to make progress in putting out fires.

At the north end of the South Fork Fire, lead crews are “making very good progress,” reported Brandon Glenn, operations section leader for Team #5; Heading toward Eagle Creek and Cedar Creek, crews are filling in hot spots around structures.

New Mexico wildfire map: Follow the surge in fires as residents in the Ruidoso area are forced to evacuate

As for the Salt Fire, Glenn reported that parts of the area “seem to be in really good shape,” with areas west of Highway 70 “really safe,” and more and more Teams are branching out to explore the northeast corner of the fire.

The same humidity that helped teams today is likely to accelerate their efforts in the coming days as forecasts call for more precipitation, meteorologist Tom Bird reported.

While Bird was quick to point out that heavy rains could be just as disastrous, causing flooding and additional damage to properties and resources, he noted that he expects “moderate fires in the future,” which which “works in our favor”.

New Mexico fire destroys more than 1,400 structures: governor

New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham confirmed during a press conference on Wednesday (June 19) that wildfires in the southern part of the state have destroyed more than 1,400 structures, including homes.

Residents are urged not to return to evacuated areas

Lincoln County Undersheriff Geraldine Martinez reported that evacuation orders are currently in effect for areas surrounding the fires and sought to assure residents that her office, along with other enforcement agencies of the law, endeavored to protect property in the evacuated areas.

More: Ruidoso fires: How El Paso residents can help with donations of clothing, water and money

During Thursday's news conference, some residents expressed concerns about looting in the area. Although Martinez noted that some people were found in evacuated areas where they should not have been, there were no reports of mass looting.

“So far it has been manageable,” she said, urging residents not to return to evacuated areas. “But…the more people we have to chase down in a sense, it makes it harder for us to do it.”

Currently, evacuation orders are not in sight. When conditions further improve, these orders will be lifted as fire crews, in conjunction with other law enforcement agencies and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, determine that each area is safe.

What caused the Ruidoso fires?

An investigation into the causes of the fires is underway by authorities, Gesser said. The cause of the fires remains unknown.

“The fires are still undetermined,” Gesser said. “It's under investigation. I just wanted to let people know that the cause of this is still undetermined. We have people working there looking into this as well.”

FBI officials asked anyone with information about the cause of the fires to contact the agency by calling 1-800-225-5324 or online at tips.fbi.gov.

Residents are urged not to return to evacuated areas

What caused the Ruidoso fires?

Lina Portman

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