By SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN and PAUL DAVENPORT Associated Press 13 April 2022, 19:22 • 4 minutes reading Share to Facebook Share to Twitter Email this article RUIDOSO, NM – Firefighters searched the drought-stricken slopes around a New Mexico village Wednesday as they looked for ways to slow down a wind-blown fire that had burned at least 150 homes and other structures a day earlier. thousands of residents and forcing the evacuation of two schools. The houses were among the structures burned on Tuesday, but officials did not count how many were destroyed by the fire, which burned at least 6.4 square miles (16.6 square kilometers) of forest, brushes and grass on the east side of the Ruidoso community, he said. Laura Rabon, representative of Lincoln National Park. No deaths or injuries were reported from the blaze, which broke out in winds of between 50 miles per hour (50 km / h) and 155 km / h, Rabon said. As the cause of the fire was being investigated, fire officials and meteorologists warned Wednesday that persistent dry and stormy conditions triggered red-flag warnings over a large area that covered almost all of New Mexico and parts of New Mexico and half of Mexico. Midwest. Five new major wildfires were reported Tuesday, and nearly 1,600 wildfires and firefighters were deployed in large wildfires in the southwest, south and Rockies, according to the National Interdepartmental Fire Department. Warmer and drier weather combined with decades of firefighting have helped increase the number of acres burned by the fires, say firefighters. And the problem is exacerbated by a 20-year-long western drought that studies have linked to man-made climate change. The period of fires has taken place all year round due to changing conditions including earlier snowmelt and rain coming later in the fall. In Ruidoso, officials declared a state of emergency and said school classes were canceled Wednesday as the village – about 140 miles northeast of El Paso, Texas – suffered power outages due to power outages. The burned houses were mostly a mixture of trailers and houses and almost 4,000 people were displaced due to evacuations. Village spokeswoman Carrie Gladen said authorities were trying to investigate as much damage as possible before Wednesday afternoon, when gusts were expected again, increasing the risk of fire. “Right now, everyone is just rallying around those who need to be evacuated,” Gladen said. “We are just trying to contact you to make sure everyone has places to stay. Moreover, in all this, our village is still without electricity. “Everyone is just trying to find the resources here in the ground where they are needed and to feed everyone.” Ruidoso was hit by one of the deadliest wildfires in New Mexico history in 2012, when a lightning strike destroyed more than 240 homes and burned nearly 70 square miles (181 square kilometers). Rabon said on Wednesday that there was no rainfall in the forecasts and the humidity levels remained in single digits, which would make it more difficult to stop the flames. “These extremely dry conditions are not in our favor,” he said. Another fire in Lincoln National Park northwest of Ruidoso burned at least 400 acres (1.6 square kilometers) after it was triggered on Tuesday by power lines that were blown down by strong winds. Crews confirmed Wednesday that 10 structures were missing. Elsewhere in New Mexico, fires were burning along the Rio Grande south of Albuquerque, in mountains northwest of the Las Vegas community, and in meadows along the Pecos River near Roswell. In Colorado, crews battled fires on grass that had been hit by winds that had destroyed two homes and forced a temporary evacuation. ——— Montoya Bryan reported from Albuquerque, New Mexico and Davenport from Phoenix.
title: “Wind Whips Destructive Wildfires In New Mexico Colorado " ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-04” author: “Ronald Magee”
Homes were among the structures burned, but officials did not count how many were destroyed by the fire, which burned at least 6.4 square miles (16.6 square kilometers) of forest, brushes and grass on the east side of Ruidoso, Laura said. Rabon, representative of Lincoln National Park. Rabon announced an emergency evacuation of a densely populated area during a briefing Wednesday afternoon as the fire jumped into a street where crews were trying to hold the line. He told people to get in their cars and go. No deaths or injuries have been reported from the blaze, which has been rekindled by strong winds. The winds prevented the forced suspension of the air strike on the flames and prevented the authorities from making a better estimate of how large the fire was. However, some planes returned to the air as the winds receded late in the day and seven planes and two helicopters have now been assigned to the fire, forest service officials said Wednesday night. As the cause of the fire was being investigated, fire officials and meteorologists warned Wednesday that persistent dry and stormy conditions triggered red-flag warnings over a large area that covered almost all of New Mexico and parts of New Mexico and half of Mexico. Midwest. Five new major wildfires were reported Tuesday, and nearly 1,600 wildfires and firefighters were deployed in large wildfires in the southwest, south and Rockies, according to the National Interdepartmental Fire Department. Warmer and drier weather combined with decades of firefighting have helped increase the number of acres burned by the fires, say firefighters. And the problem is exacerbated by a 20-year-long western drought that studies have linked to man-made climate change. The period of fires has taken place all year round due to changing conditions including earlier snowmelt and rain coming later in the fall. In Ruidoso, officials declared a state of emergency and said school classes were canceled Wednesday as the village – about 140 miles (225 kilometers) northeast of El Paso, Texas – suffered power outages due to power outages. The homes burned were mostly a mix of trailers and single-family homes and nearly 4,000 people were displaced by evacuations ordered on Tuesday. This number was expected to increase with the latest appeal to residents to leave. Village spokeswoman Carrie Gladen said authorities spent part of Wednesday investigating as much damage as possible before the winds blew again. The air tankers were also able to drop some cargo of pulp and more air support was expected on Thursday. “Right now, everyone is just rallying around those who need to be evacuated,” Gladen said. “We are just trying to contact you to make sure everyone has places to stay.” Donations were coming from other communities in southern New Mexico. State officials said emergency grants had been approved to provide resources for firefighters and other emergency efforts. Ruidoso was hit by one of the deadliest wildfires in New Mexico history in 2012, when a lightning strike destroyed more than 240 homes and burned nearly 70 square miles (181 square kilometers). Rabon said on Wednesday that there was no rainfall in the forecasts and the humidity levels remained in single digits, which would make it more difficult to stop the flames. “These extremely dry conditions are not in our favor,” he said. Another fire in Lincoln National Park northwest of Ruidoso burned at least 400 acres (1.6 square kilometers) after it was triggered on Tuesday by power lines that were blown down by strong winds. Crews confirmed Wednesday that 10 structures were lost there. Elsewhere in New Mexico, fires were burning along the Rio Grande south of Albuquerque, in mountains northwest of the Las Vegas community, and in meadows along the Pecos River near Roswell. In Colorado, crews battled fires on grass that had been hit by winds that had destroyed two homes and forced a temporary evacuation.
Montoya Bryan reported from Albuquerque, New Mexico and Davenport from Phoenix.
