Phoenix Fire Task Force deployed to help fight New Mexico wildfires

PHOENIX (AZFamille) — A Phoenix fire task force is heading to New Mexico Friday to help fight wildfires that have ravaged part of the state.

Fifty-one members of Arizona Task Force 1 will join the battle against two wildfires that have killed two people, destroyed hundreds of homes and forced thousands to flee. AZ-TF1 is one of 28 Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) task forces in the United States. Its mission is to prepare for activation and response to urban search and rescue operations at the local and national levels.

Arizona firefighters leave Phoenix around 5 a.m. to fight the blaze.

President Joe Biden issued a disaster declaration for parts of southern New Mexico, freeing up funds and more resources as crews worked to keep the flames from spreading. Their efforts were boosted by a storm system that brought rain, hail and cooler temperatures to the mountain village of Ruidoso and other parts of the state.

But firefighters know it's only a brief respite given the dry conditions at the powder magazine that helped fuel the fires in the first place. In just a few days, the fires consumed an area equivalent to half the size of Washington, DC.

An estimated 1,400 structures were destroyed or damaged, and Ruidoso Mayor Lynn Crawford estimated that about half were homes. Entire sections of some communities have been lost, he said.

Federal and local authorities said evacuation orders would likely remain in effect for days in some locations while crews neutralize hot spots around Ruidoso and police officers patrol the streets to ward off would-be looters.

Despite some reports that the fires were “human-caused,” federal incident commander Dave Gessar said the causes were under investigation and remained “undetermined.”

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

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