ROSWELL, N.M. — Air tankers dropped water and red retardant on Wednesday on a pair of growing fires in mountainous New Mexico that killed at least one person, damaged more than 1,400 structures, forced thousands to flee a tourist locale and may now threaten hundreds of firefighters amid high wind risks.
Strong wind on Monday pushed the larger of two wildfires into the mountain village of Ruidoso, forcing residents to flee with little notice. Weather patterns were shifting Wednesday with moisture from the Gulf of Mexico, Bladen Breitreiter of the National Weather Service office in Albuquerque said Wednesday.
“It will be a challenging situation going into the late afternoon and evening,” said Breitreiter, who has been an incident meteorologist at past wildfires. “The potential for scattered to isolated thunderstorms could help, but it depends on where they hit. If the rain misses the fires, downward winds could cause problems for firefighters on the ground.”
He said rain could also lead to dangerous flash flooding in newly burned areas. Light rain started to fall on some areas outside Ruidoso by early afternoon.
The two fires remained at 0% containment Wednesday afternoon as crews used heavy equipment to build fire lines while water and retardant was dropped from the air, authorities said.
Officials said about 254 firefighters were on the scene by early morning and alert to any spot fires that could flare up. More personnel from departments from around the region were continuing to arrive throughout Wednesday.
Ruidoso and much of the Southwest has been exceedingly dry and hot this spring. Those conditions, along with strong wind, whipped flames out of control Monday and Tuesday, rapidly advancing the South Fork Fire into the village. Along with homes and businesses, a regional medical center and the Ruidoso Downs horse track were evacuated.
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham's office confirmed one fatality as a result of the fire but said it had no further details.
New Mexico State Police spokesperson Wilson Silver said Wednesday that the department was notified about a 60-year-old man found Tuesday on the side of the road near the Swiss Chalet Inn in Ruidoso, a European-style complex built amid pine trees that was destroyed by flames. Patrick Pearson apparently died from numerous burns he sustained.
About 1,400 structures have been destroyed or damaged, but it’s unclear how many were homes. A flyover to provide more accurate mapping and a better assessment of damage is being organized, Lujan Grisham said.
Ardis Holder left Ruidoso with her two young daughters, her gas tank nearly on empty as she prayed that they'd get out safely. She was sure the house she rented in the village she grew up in is gone, based on the maps she'd seen.
“We were already seeing where all the fire hit, it's everywhere,” she said late Tuesday from a shelter in nearby Roswell. “If there's something standing, that's awesome. But, if not, we were prepared for the worst.”
About 1,500 horses stabled at the Ruidoso Downs were moved in a chaotic scene after authorities ordered an evacuation, said horse trainer John Stinebaugh. He had his clients' 42 racehorses moved Tuesday afternoon to Artesia, a city about 100 miles (160 km) to the southeast, where they were stabled at the local fairgrounds.
“The people here have rolled out the red carpet, provided help with hay and water,” said Stinebaugh. “People from all over just showed up with trailers to help move the horses, taking them to ranches all over New Mexico, to Hobbs, Roswell, even El Paso, Texas.”
Lujan Grisham declared a county-wide state of emergency that extended to the neighboring Mescalero Apache Reservation where both fires started and deployed National Guard troops. The declaration unlocks additional funding and resources to manage the crisis.
Nationwide, wildfires have scorched more than 3,280 square miles (8,495 square kilometers) this year — a figure higher than the 10-year averages, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. About 20 wildfires currently burning are considered large and uncontained, including blazes in California and Washington state.
Lujan Grisham said the two southern New Mexico wildfires together have consumed more than 31 square miles (80 square kilometers). The exact causes of the blazes haven't been determined, but the Southwest Coordination Center listed them as human-caused.
Ruidoso and areas around Santa Fe and Española, New Mexico, have served as the backdrop this year for filming of a movie starring Matthew McConaughey and America Ferrera about the devastating 2018 wildfire in Paradise, California. That fire killed 85 people and nearly erased the community in the Sierra Nevada foothills.
While many older residents call Ruidoso home year-round, the population of around 7,000 people expands to about 25,000 during the warmer months, when New Mexicans and Texans from hotter climates seek the cool of the leafy aspen trees, hiking trails and a chance to go fishing.
Nestled within the Lincoln National Forest, Ruidoso boasts nearby amenities including a casino, golf course and ski resort operated by the Mescalero Apache Tribe. Horse races at the Ruidoso Downs also draw crowds as home to one of the sport’s richest quarter-horse competitions.
Ruidoso residents fled Monday through traffic-clogged downtown streets with smoke darkening the evening sky, embers raining down and 100-foot (30-meter) flames in the distance climbing over a ridgeline.
On social media posts, Ruidoso officials didn’t mince words: “GO NOW: Do not attempt to gather belongings or protect your home. Evacuate immediately.”
Public Service Company of New Mexico shut off power to part of the village due to the fire.
Lujan Grisham said cellphone service was affected in some communities near the fire, and mobile cell towers were set up to restore communications.
Amid highway closures, many evacuees fled eastward toward the city of Roswell, 75 miles (121 kilometers) away, where hotels and shelters quickly filled. A rural gas station along the evacuation route was overrun with people and cars.
