Ruidoso Fires Day 6: Evacuees to return Monday
The South Fork Fire and the Salt Fire, burning near Ruidoso, are 26% and 7% contained, respectively, fire officials said the morning of Saturday, June 22, 2024.
By Diana Alba Soular
Southern New Mexico Journalism Collaborative
Ruidoso officials announced Saturday that full-time residents can return to the community starting Monday morning after being evacuated the past week because of two aggressive fires.
The Village of Ruidoso announced full-time residents – not tourists or second home owners – will be allowed to return starting 8 a.m. They say proof of residency will be required.
Village officials advised residents to bring a week’s worth of food and drinking water because grocery stores aren’t fully operational. And they cautioned residents might find outages of power, gas, and water due to utilities disruptions that have resulted from the fires.
Over the past week, residents have reported spotty or nonexistent internet and phone service, too. A boil water advisory is also in place.
‘I’m going to be so happy’
Lauren McCullough, her fiance and kids were among the thousands of people who evacuated Monday when officials announced a mandatory order as the South Fork and Salt fires rapidly approached the community. Her home is near Alto, just north of Ruidoso. The family has been staying at a hotel in Albuquerque since.
She expressed relief about being allowed to return. Several restaurants and individuals in Albuquerque have offered support in the form of gift cards for groceries and free meals, which have helped. But the unexpected out-of-town stay has taken a toll on her finances. Another evacuated family is staying in the same hotel.
“Our money has been dwindling – having to feed our families and keep the hotel,” she said. “I’m going to be so happy to go home and sleep in our own beds.”
McCullough has several pets in tow; unfortunately, the family’s pet snake died suddenly, possibly because of the stress of the fast-paced evacuation. Still, she said, “we've been hanging in there.”
An estimated 1,400 structures – a mix of homes, businesses and outbuildings – were damaged or destroyed in the fires. At least two people died. Authorities are searching for more possible victims.
McCullough is aware her home is still standing because there’s a man in Ruidoso who’s been roaming through the evacuated zones posting videos on social media of neighborhoods, letting people know which homes burned and feeding animals that were left behind. She saw her home in one of the videos. But the fire came within two miles of the location.
Containment grows
Cooler, wetter weather that arrived in the region from the Gulf of Mexico was a favorable turn for crews combatting the fires. It was expected to slow the fires’ spread.
Saturday morning, fire officials released the latest numbers, saying the South Fork Fire, burning in the west and north of Ruidoso, has consumed 16,600 acres (a growth of about 200 acres since Thursday). It was 26% contained, compared to 0% previously.
The Salt Fire to the south, meanwhile, had burned just over 7,650 acres (on par with the last estimate stated by officials) and was 7% contained, compared to 0% on Thursday.
Both fires started Monday, June 17. Officials say the causes remain under investigation. Acreage has burned, too, on the Mescalero Apache Reservation just west of Ruidoso.
While rains and higher relative humidity have improved the situation for fire crews, the Southwest Area Incident Management Team #5, which is in charge of the fire response, “this incident is not over,” states an announcement Saturday from the group.
“Downed power lines, damaged water, sewer, and gas lines, localized flooding, fire weakened trees and other environmental hazards continue to pose risks to firefighters and the public,” the group said. “Extra precautions should be exercised along roads as emergency and fire vehicles, engines and equipment continue to travel and work along roadways.”
Officials said smoke and smoke damage to structures is another hazard of returning to the evacuated areas.
Returning home
McCullough said a concern she has about returning to her home is that she left about $600 in groceries behind, many of which have likely spoiled. Her fiance turned off their power breaker as a precaution in case the blaze did reach their house. She’ll likely be boiling water, too, although she has several five-gallon jugs of drinking water at her house. She said she’ll be looking into purchasing Starlink internet because the local internet provider has had outages related to the fire, and she needs connectivity for work. Starlink, an Elon Musk company, is a satellite-based internet that’s an option for rural and remote locations.
McCullough said she’s been in touch with her homeowner’s insurance company and found that some of the costs she’s incurred because of the evacuation and fire might be reimbursable.
Despite what the village has been through, she’s expecting residents will come together to pitch in to recovery efforts.
“It's a resilient town,” she said. “Our canopy may not look the same, but it doesn't change the people in it.”
The Southern New Mexico Journalism Collaborative is a partnership of local newsrooms working together to cover important topics in the southern half of the state. More info: www.southNMnews.org or www.surNMnoticias.org.
Full text of the Village of Ruidoso announcement:
After careful consideration, the Mayor and the Village Council have decided to allow residents back into Ruidoso at 8:00 AM on Monday, June 24th.
Here are a few things to know about re-entry:
1. Re-entry will be for LOCAL, FULL-TIME residents only at this time. You will be required to show proof of residency.
2. The Village of Ruiodoso is asking that 2nd homeowners and tourists refrain from coming to Ruidoso to give residents time to get back to their properties and survey any needs or damages.
3. Please bring at least a week's worth of food and drinking water as grocery stores are not operating at full capacity.
4. Due to the events of the past week, you may arrive to find that your home has no gas, no electricity, and no water. If your home has no power, your refrigerator will not be working. You can check the outage maps at PNM.com and ZNGC.com
5. There is no childcare available.
6. If you have breathing issues including asthma or COPD, you may find that you cannot tolerate the ash, smoke, and soot that are in the air.
7. We currently have a Boil Water Advisory in place which is normal after a natural disaster. If any of our systems are found to be compromised, there is the possibility for a mandatory Boil Water Order.
We hope that you will help us make this process smooth. Please remember that we are here to help you, and at the same time, we want to ensure your safety and the safety of everyone's property.
Any questions can be directed to the EOC Phone Bank at 575-258-6900 or more information can be found on the Village of Ruidoso website at www.Ruidoso-NM.gov
Source: Village of Ruidoso Facebook page
