Kolby KickingWoman
ICT
Two fires on the Mescalero Apache Reservation in southern New Mexico have forced thousands of residents to evacuate, with a county-wide state of emergency being declared by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham.
The fires were first reported Tuesday, June 17 and no cause has been determined as to how the fires started.
The declaration extends to neighboring tribal lands and deployed National Guard troops after residents fled under evacuation orders Monday with little time to rescue belongings.
“The horrific South Fork Fire and Salt Fire have ravaged our lands and property, and forced thousands to flee their homes,” Lujan Grisham said. “We are deploying every available resource to control these fires.”
The magnitude of the fires is beyond local control and requires immediate state intervention to protect public health, safety and welfare, Lujan Grisham said in a statement Tuesday afternoon. She said more than 500 structures had been damaged and the entire village of Ruidoso, population 7,000, had been evacuated. It is unclear how many homes were engulfed by the fast-moving flames.
The fires, dubbed the South Fork Fire and Salt Fire, are reportedly zero percent contained as of Tuesday night. The South Fork Fire is the larger of the two, burning 13,921 acres as of an update from the tribe Tuesday night. The Salt Fire is estimated to have burned 4,876 acres.
A state of emergency has also been implemented by the Mescalero Apache Tribal Council.
“The Mescalero Apache Tribe is actively working with federal and state agencies, outside and surrounding agencies to ensure public safety,” a Facebook post from the tribe stated.
Fire crews worked through the night to stop the multiple fires spread and provided structure protection “where they could.” The Mescalero Apache Tribe is about a 3 hour drive south, 210 miles of Albuquerque.
Amid highway closures, many evacuees had little choice but to flee eastward into the Great Plains and the city of Roswell, 75 miles away, where hotels and shelters quickly filled. A rural gas station along the evacuation route was overrun with people and cars.
“The Walmart parking lot is packed with people in RVs,” said Enrique Moreno, director of Roswell Community Disaster Relief. “Every single hotel in Roswell is filled to capacity right now. … We go to the gas stations and we see just a bunch of people hanging around their cars.”
New Mexico has grappled in recent years with a devastating series of wildfires, including a 2022 blaze caused by a pair of prescribed fires set by the U.S. Forest Service that merged during drought conditions to become the largest wildfire in the state’s recorded history. That year, a separate fire consumed 200 homes in Ruidoso and resulted in two deaths.
On Tuesday, two fires menaced Ruidoso, a high-altitude vacation getaway nestled within the Lincoln National Forest near amenities including a casino, golf course and ski resort operated by the Mescalero Apache Tribe.
High temperatures and winds are expected through Wednesday before scattered thunderstorms and rain move into the area on Thursday and Friday, according to forecasts from the National Weather Service.
The Mescalero Apache Tribe provides updates through its Facebook page and additional information can be found on the tribe’s website.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.