A car drives on the road to Roswell, New Mexico, as smoke from a wildfire partially blocks the sun near the village of Ruidoso, New Mexico, on Tuesday, June 18. Thousands of residents in southern New Mexico have been evacuated from mountain villages after wildfires fanned by strong winds destroyed homes and other structures.
Andres Leighton/AP
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Andres Leighton/AP
Numerous wildfires are burning in New Mexico and California, forcing evacuations as fierce flames spread quickly, making it difficult for local authorities to assess the damage.
The South Fork Fire, which was first reported Monday morning in the southern New Mexico village of Ruidoso, has burned more than 15,000 acres to date and is 0% contained, according to the National Joint Fire Center.
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has declared a state of emergency and ordered the evacuation of Ruidoso and nearby tribal lands, which will help the state allocate resources from the National Guard.
Grisham praised emergency workers and residents who helped those who were forced to evacuate.
“The number of New Mexicans stepping into their own pockets to help and offering their homes as shelters once again demonstrates the generosity and compassion of the people of our state,” the governor said.
More than 500 buildings have been damaged or destroyed by the fire, but Grisham said the intensity of the fires would require aerial flights to get a more accurate assessment of the damage.
“This will allow us to actually see inside the fire, which we can’t do right now because it’s too dangerous to go into the heart of the fire,” she said.
Ruidoso residents sleep in a shelter in Roswell, New Mexico, after being evacuated from Ruidoso on Tuesday, June 18.
Andres Leighton/AP
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Ruidoso residents said what should have been a 15-minute drive out of town turned into a terrifying, hours-long process. The Associated Press reported that Real Estate agent Christy Hood said the evacuation order came so suddenly she barely had time to gather up her husband, children and dog.
“The sky looked like it was on fire. It was a bright orange,” Hood said. “It honestly looked like the apocalypse. It was terrifying, sparks were falling on us.”
A second wildfire is burning in southern New Mexico, about five miles southeast of the South Fork Fire. The Salt Fire has burned about 7,000 acres and was 1% contained as of Wednesday afternoon, according to the wildfire tracking app WatchDuty.
Northern California battles new fires
New fires also broke out in the northern part of the state this week after California firefighters began battling wildfires over the weekend.
The Aero Fire broke out Monday in Copperpolis, a small community in Calaveras County southwest of Sacramento. The blaze has burned more than 5,000 acres and forced evacuations. Cal Fire reported three buildings were destroyed and one was damaged. Local officials set up three evacuation centers, but it is unclear how many people have been evacuated. With winds decreasing and relative humidity increasing, firefighters have been able to get the Aero Fire 33% contained.
Another wildfire, the Sights Fire, also broke out Monday in Colusa County, about 100 miles north of San Francisco. Cal Fire reports that the blaze, which has burned more than 15,000 acres, is 5% contained.
But firefighters remain optimistic about the situation in California’s Central Valley, where the National Weather Service said a red flag warning for fire conditions was expected to be lifted by noon Wednesday.
Firefighters are also working to contain the Post Fire, which burned more than 15,000 acres in Los Angeles and Ventura counties on Saturday. State fire officials say the fire is 39 percent contained. And the Point Fire in Sonoma County, which has burned more than 1,200 acres since starting Sunday, is 50 percent contained.
