Last week, residents of Ruidoso, New Mexico were forced to evacuate their homes due to two rapidly spreading wildfires. On Monday, they were finally permitted to return and assess whether their homes had survived the devastation.
According to the New Mexico State Police, the South Fork and Salt fires have claimed the lives of two individuals. Unfortunately, the town has also reported the identification of possible additional fatalities.
During her weekly radio show, Mayor Lynn Crawford reported on Monday that a total of 29 individuals remain missing.
According to Crawford, searchers are entering areas called “exclusion zones”, where homes have been destroyed or severely damaged, and requesting individuals to come forward.
As per the statement of Crawford, who is the mayor of the town with a population of approximately 7,700, the extent of damage is so severe that there could be victims trapped inside. He further added that the search for 29 missing individuals is still underway.
According to him, the search and rescue teams utilize dogs and traverse from one property to another in their operations.
According to Crawford, if you reside in the affected areas and suspect that you may be among the 29 individuals reported missing, it is recommended that you contact the emergency operations center and inform them that you are checking in.
On June 17th, the Mescalero Apache Reservation was hit by two wildfires, namely the South Fork and Salt fires. The South Fork blaze rapidly spread towards the east, targeting Ruidoso and moving north of the town.
Residents of Ruidoso Downs, a small town with a population of approximately 2,600, were forced to evacuate their homes as the Salt Fire blazed through the eastern and southern parts of Ruidoso.
As of Monday, the South Fork Fire has ravaged 17,551 acres and is currently under 37% control, according to the New Mexico Forestry Division. On the other hand, the Salt Fire has burned 7,816 acres but is only 7% contained.
Approximately 1,400 buildings have suffered damage, with about 500 homes being affected, according to New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s statement last week.
As he prepared for his journey into the Ruidoso region, David Solas was uncertain of what lay ahead.
Solas expressed his fear of returning and uncertainty about the current state of affairs to KOB, Albuquerque’s NBC station.
Firefighters have received a reprieve from the weather as it has changed in their favor, aiding them in their fight against the raging fire. However, the rainfall has increased the probability of flooding. According to a report by the state’s Forestry Division, the fire has dwindled down to smoldering and creeping in heavy duff and dead/down fuels. Despite the positive development, they have cautioned that the situation could worsen in some areas as the temperature rises.
Mayor Crawford of Ruidoso made a polite request to individuals who own second homes in the region to kindly wait for a few days before heading there. The aim of this request was to ensure that local residents could access their homes first.
Crawford emphasized that there are full-time residents in the area who consider it their home. He pointed out that the local school is where their children attend. “Those people should be given priority because we’re going to reach full capacity soon,” he stated.
The FBI is currently investigating the cause of the fires and is offering a reward of $10,000 for any information that could lead to the identification, arrest, and conviction of the individual or group responsible for setting them.
According to Crawford, the government aims to ensure the accuracy of the information being transmitted.
Crawford pointed out that rushing to release something can lead to mistakes. As an example, he mentioned a situation where there were supposed to be three deaths, but only two were reported. In response, someone said, “Great news! Let’s keep it at two.”