ALAMOGORDO, New Mexico (KTSM) — On Wednesday afternoon, June 19, a number of New Mexico state and local leaders were briefed by Otero County officials on the relief status concerning the two major wildfires raging through the Ruidoso and Mescalero areas.
New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, representatives Gabe Vasquez and Melanie Stansbury, along with Mescalero tribal officials and other stakeholders were in attendance.
As of 12:29 p.m. on Wednesday, the South Fork fire has burned 16,335 acres. The Salt fire has burned 7,071 acres, both fires at 0% containment.
Congressman Vasquez said the main focus of the briefing was to discuss the progress of firefighting activities of what he described as one of the “most devastating fires in Southern New Mexico’s history.”
Rep. Vasquez said:
“We’ve mobilized as many resources, both on the federal, local and state level. Right now, everybody is doing their job to contain this fire. One of the most terrible fires, honestly, that we’re going to see in the history of Ruidoso. Look, right now, the most important thing is preventing the loss of life. There will be loss of property, but making sure that people aren’t going back to their homes, that they’re following the orders that are being given both locally and at the state level and even within tribal jurisdiction. That’s the most important thing.”
In addition to threats from the flames, the National Weather Service has also issued Flash Flood Emergencies for parts of the Southern New Mexico area. According to the NWS, locations that will experience flash floods include:
Ruidoso
Ruidoso Downs
San Patricio
Hondo
Tinnie
Glencoe
Sunset
Hollywood
Highway 380 near Mile Marker 105 & 107
Congresswoman Stansbury echoed Vasquez’s priority of placing lifesaving efforts at the forefront.
“If you are in a goes on in the evacuation zone, you need to leave your property, your home and get out of there. Part of what folks need to understand is even if you don’t see the fire immediately around your house. Part of it has to do with the weather forecast, the fire forecast and the flash flood warnings. So, you are in a potentially dangerous area,” said Congresswoman Stansbury.
The representatives said they anticipate evacuations and relief efforts to span across a timeline of weeks as the community reels from the devastation.
Rep. Stansbury said:
“We don’t know what the economic impacts of this fire will be, but upwards of almost 9,000 people right now have been evacuated out of the core of where the fires touched down in Ruidoso. Ruidoso is the economic center of this area. So we know there will be millions of dollars in damages to the 1,400-plus structures that have been damaged because of the fire, but also the economy is going to be shut down at the height of the tourist season. This is going to have devastating multi-million, possibly billion dollar impacts for the local economy.”
Gov. Lujan Grisham will be holding a separate briefing in Roswell, NM at 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, June 19, with New Mexico’s Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management to provide more relief updates.
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