Two wildfires in southern New Mexico that have destroyed 1,400 structures, burned more than 20,000 acres and forced thousands to evacuate were still burning out of control Tuesday night as firefighters worked to contain the blazes, officials said.
Michael Coleman, a spokesman for New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, said at least one person has died since the fire started on Monday. No further details were available as of Tuesday evening.
The large South Fork Fire was discovered around 9 a.m. Monday in Mescalero Apache territory and grew quickly and exhibited “extreme fire behavior,” according to officials.
The South Fork Fire has spread from the Mescalero Apache Reservation onto U.S. Forest Service land and private land. The New Mexico Forest Service said in a statement that as of Tuesday evening, 1,400 structures had burned and about 15,000 acres had been burned.
A second blaze, the Salt Fire, was discovered a few miles away on Monday afternoon and as of Tuesday was still burning almost exclusively on tribal lands in the mostly inaccessible mountainous area, covering about 5,000 acres.
About 8,000 people had been evacuated from the village of Ruidoso and surrounding areas by Tuesday evening, according to the New Mexico Forestry Department.
Both fires were listed as fully contained as of Tuesday night, and authorities were investigating the cause.
But the fires were apparently exacerbated by wind and low humidity, according to New Mexico Fire Info, a website run by federal and state government agencies..
Federal, tribal, state and local agencies are in an “all hands on deck situation,” said George Ducker, public affairs coordinator for the New Mexico Department of Forestry. He added that firefighters are focusing on protecting structures and establishing firebreaks to stop the blaze from spreading.
Officials blame the fire for “long-distance ignition,” a phenomenon in which sparks are carried by the wind and sometimes start new fires. Ducker said the flames were “hundreds of feet” high.
“The heat inside is extremely hot,” he said.
Evacuees were heading east to Roswell, New Mexico, as some roads in other directions were closed because of the fire.
The Red Cross, which has opened four evacuation centers across the state to help people fleeing the fires, said it had assisted 270 residents as of Monday night.
Enrique Moreno, founder and president of Roswell Community Disaster Relief, said many of the people evacuated from Ruidoso parked in parking lots of gas stations, Walmarts and other retail stores around Roswell until evacuation centers opened late Monday. Moreno's group is working with Pecos Valley Public Services to deliver resources, including food and other supplies, to evacuees.
“This is the biggest disaster we've ever had to deal with,” Moreno said.
Governor Grisham declared a state of emergency in Lincoln County and the Mescalero Apache Reservation on Tuesday because of the fires. In a social media post, the governor said the declaration authorizes the release of funds and resources to manage the crisis.
Amy Ortiz and Yang Zhuan Contributed report.
