Wind pushes flames, wildfire rages in New Mexico

A fire broke out Monday morning west of Ruidosoin New Mexico (USA), forced residents to flee their homes. The fire, called “South Fork Fire“, broke out around 9 a.m. in the Mescalero reservation and quickly spread to more than 5,000 acres by the end of the day, local authorities reported.

The mandatory evacuation order came from the Ruidoso government via social media: “Immediate and mandatory evacuation for the Village of Ruidoso — leave immediately!!”, just before 7pm.

The New Mexico Forestry Department said the fire spread with a alarming speedshowing a behavior extreme of the flames. As of 11:30 p.m., the fire had already reached approximately 5,252 acres and was not even 1 percent contained.

Multiple evacuation orders were issued, with residents urged to leave homes immediately without attempting to take valuable possessions with them or attempt to defend property. No deaths have been reported at this time, although the number of structures damaged or destroyed remains unknown.

Burning ashes from the fire fell in Alto, a town north of Ruidoso, the local government reported. A portion of U.S. Highway 70 near the reservation was closed.

Ruidoso, Alto and the reservation are located in the Sierra Blanca mountain range, approximately 130 miles South/East of Albuquerque. The cause of the fire is currently under investigation. The fire broke out at a time when much of the American Southwest, including part of New Mexico, is under a “red flag” warning due to the risk of fires due tovery dry air and ai winds strong.