Authorities ordered thousands of people to evacuate Monday due to “extreme” wildfires in New Mexico.
“GO NOW: Do not attempt to gather belongings or protect your home. Evacuate immediately,” officials with the village of Ruidoso, home to 7,000 residents, said Monday night.
“Fire growth has been rapid with extreme fire behavior,” officials with the New Mexico Forestry Division said, Fox Weather reported. “Multiple structures are under threat, and [an] unknown number of structures have been lost.”
The wildfire, named the South Fork Fire, was first discovered around 9:00 a.m. Monday, according to Fox Weather. The blaze was discovered near the tribal lands of Ruidoso and quickly spread across thousands of acres as the day went on. Low humidity and winds reaching 20 to 30 mph fueled the fire, the outlet noted.
IMMEDIATE MANDATORY “GO” EVACUATION FOR THE VILLAGE OF RUIDOSO – GO NOW!!
An emergency mandatory GO evacuation is issued for the entire Village of Ruidoso from Sudderth/Mechem to Freedom Bloom at Big O Tire. Please do not try to gather belongings or protect your home. GO NOW. pic.twitter.com/l1U5oYigeF— Village of Ruidoso (@VillageRuidoso) June 18, 2024
As the fire continued to spread, authorities issued warnings to residents to evacuate. The fire has burned roughly 14,000 acres as of Tuesday morning, Fox Weather reported. None of the area has been contained, the outlet noted, citing officials.
Emergency officials have reportedly set up shelters in Roswell, a town over 70 miles away from Ruidoso, the outlet reported. Officials have also used state fairgrounds to house livestock evacuated due to the fires. (RELATED: Texas Wildfire Grows Overnight To Largest In State’s History).
BREAKING: Residents of the southern New Mexico village of Ruidoso were ordered to flee their homes Monday without even taking time to grab any belongings due to a fast-moving wildfire.
INFO: https://t.co/eMOoRmDANL pic.twitter.com/zWYqmA9Khd
— KWTX News 10 (@kwtx) June 18, 2024
A second fire, dubbed the Salt Fire, was reported on the Mescalero Reservation, reaching roughly 5,000 acres on Tuesday and causing more evacuations, the outlet noted.
The National Weather Service in El Paso, Texas, issued a fire warning on behalf of the Mescalero Apache Tribe, noting the closure of highways.
“We had a 40-mph wind that was taking this fire all along the ridge, we could literally see 100-foot flames,” Steve Jones, who evacuated Ruidoso overnight, told ABC News. “That’s why it consumed so much acreage.”
“The traffic became bumper-to-bumper, slow-moving, and people’s nerves became a little jangled,” he added.
Jones said his internet service and cellphone didn’t work while the evacuation was underway, the outlet noted. Ruidoso villagers reportedly began using the AM radio for updates as they prepared to evacuate.
The Public Service Company of New Mexico shut off power to the village due to the wildfire, the outlet noted.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation, Fox Weather noted.
Correction: This article has been updated to reflect that Roswell, New Mexico, is over 70 miles away from Ruidoso, not half a mile.
