Elderly couple are killed, 5,000 people ordered to evacuate and 200 homes are destroyed in devastating New Mexico wildfire which has wiped out more than 5,700acres
- The McBride Fire has destroyed more than 200 homes since it broke out Tuesday near the village Ruidoso, a vacation spot that draws thousands of tourists every Summer
- The fire killed a couple, who authorities have yet to publicly identify. Their bodies were found after worried family members contacted police
- As of Saturday the wildfire remains zero percent contained and has burned 9.6 square miles of timber and brush
- New Mexico authorities said they suspect the fire was sparked by a downed power line as they continue their investigation into the fire
A raging New Mexico wildfire has killed two people and destroyed hundreds of homes as fire fighters struggle to contain the flames.
The McBride Fire has destroyed more than 200 homes since it broke out Tuesday near the village Ruidoso, a vacation spot that draws thousands of tourists and horse racing fans every summer.
As of Saturday the wildfire remains zero percent contained and has burned 9.6 square miles of timber and brush.
Hotter and drier weather coupled with decades of fire suppression have contributed to an increase in the number of acres burned by wildfires, fire scientists say.
New Mexico authorities said they suspect the fire was sparked by a downed power line as they continue their investigation into the fire.
An elderly couple were killed in the blaze. Their remains were found near their charred home in the mountain community.
Police investigators and firefighters were alerted by family members after the pair tried to evacuate but never made it out.
Their names have not yet been released.
All that remains of a home after a wildfire spread through the Village of Ruidoso, New Mexico and has burned through over 200 homes
A tree ignites as the McBride Fire spills down a mountainside near Ruidoso as the wildfire remains zero percent contained
A Ruidoso home is turned to ashes after the McBride Fire has destroyed more than 200 homes since it broke out Tuesday
New Mexico authorities said they suspect the fire was sparked by a downed power line as they continue their investigation into the fire
As of Saturday the wildfire remains zero percent contained and has burned 9.6 square miles of timber and brush
Smoke can be seen rising as a wind-driven wildfire, known as the McBride Fire, is seen burning on a ridge in Ruidoso
Their bodies were found after worried family members contacted police saying the couple had planned to evacuate Tuesday when the fire exploded but were unaccounted for later that day.
Late Friday authorities lifted certain evacuation orders that covered about 60 percent of the estimated 4,500 people originally ordered to leave their homes since the fire started but specific numbers weren’t immediately available, Village of Ruidoso spokesperson Kerry Gladden told AP.
As residents return to their homes, fire incident commander Dave Bales said crews are working to put out hot spots and clear lines along the fire’s perimeter to keep the fire from spreading.
Despite no containment, Bales said he was satisfied with the work done so far and prospects for coming days.
Weather conditions Saturday appeared favorable with reduced wind and increased humidity, Bales said. ‘We have lines in. We just want to make sure they hold in that wind,’ he said.
The fire and the winds that spread it downed power lines and knocked out electricity to 18,000 customers but since power has been restored to all but a few dozen customers, Public Service Co. manager Wilson Guinn said.
Eric Vaughn surveys the wind damage to his roof at the Unique Boutique in Ruidoso, where hundreds of homes have been damaged by the flames
The fire killed a couple, who authorities have yet to publicly identify. Their bodies were found after worried family members contacted police
Evacuation estimates were previously reported to be around 5,000 people and orders remaining in effect may be lifted in coming days, officials said
As residents return to their homes, fire incident commander Dave Bales said crews are working to put out hot spots and clear lines along the fire’s perimeter to keep the fire from spreading
Weather conditions Saturday appeared favorable with reduced wind and increased humidity, fire incident commander Dave Bales said. ‘We have lines in. We just want to make sure they hold in that wind,’ he said
Residents have been warned to be aware that the strong winds earlier in the week may have damaged trees that could still fall or lose limbs
While evacuation orders have been lifted officials still warned that people returning to their homes be cautious and call utility officials if they encounter downed lines
But Guinn warned that people returning to their homes needed to be cautious and call utility officials if they encounter downed lines.
‘We may have missed something,’ Guinn said. ‘Don’t try to touch them, fix them, roll them up, whatever.’
Gladden, the village spokesperson, said residents also need to be aware that the strong winds earlier in the week may have damaged trees that could still fall or lose limbs.
‘It’s important that what started this whole event was a significant wind storm,’ she said.
Hotlines lit up Friday afternoon as residents reported more smoke, which fire information officer Mike De Fries said was caused by flare-ups within the interior of the fire as flames found pockets of unburned fuel.
On Friday, Mayor Lynn Crawford rallied heartbroken residents as firefighters tried to keep wind-whipped flames from making another run at the village. She said the response from their neighbors has been amazing.
‘So we have plenty of food, we have plenty of clothes, those kinds of things but we still appreciate and need your prayers and your thoughts,’ Crawford said at a briefing. ‘Again, our hearts go out to the family of the deceased, to those that have lost their homes.’
A decade ago Ruidoso was the site of the most destructive wildfire in New Mexico’s recorded history when more than 240 homes burned and nearly 70 square miles of forest were blackened by a lightning-sparked blaze.
While many older residents call Ruidoso home year round, the population of about 8,000 people expands to about 25,000 during the summer months as Texans and New Mexicans from hotter climates seek respite.
Fans also flock to Ruidoso Downs, home to one of the sport´s richest quarter-horse competitions. The racing season was expected to start May 27, and horses that board there aren´t in any danger as fire officials use the facility as a staging ground.
Elsewhere in the U.S., crews have been battling large fires this week in Texas, Oklahoma and Colorado, where a new blaze forced evacuations Friday along the Rocky Mountain’s eastern front near Lyons about 18 miles north of Boulder.
That fire was burning in the Blue Mountains near the Larimer-Boulder county line about 20 miles southeast of Estes Park, the east entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park.
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