Thunderstorms could threaten parts of New Mexico with more flash flooding on Thursday, forecasters said, after heavy rain complicated firefighters’ efforts to contain two spreading wildfires. quickly killed two people and forced thousands of residents to evacuate.
Authorities said rain could help control the fire, which is expected to remain burning for several days. But it also poses its own dangers, forcing some emergency crews to evacuate to higher ground on Wednesday as water levels rose.
Areas of New Mexico, including Mora County and San Miguel County, have suffered under flood warning until Thursday morning, with heavy rainfall pushing through the Calf Canyon/Hermit’s Peak burn scar.
The wildfires, dubbed the South Fork and Salt fires, started amid sweltering temperatures this week. In total, they burned more than 23,000 acres. The South Fork fire, the larger of the two fires, has burned more than 16,000 acres and destroyed 1,400 structures, according to the Southwest Regional Incident Management Team.
About 500 of those structures are believed to be homes, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said in a news conference Wednesday night, adding that the damage made the fire one of the The most devastating fire in New Mexico history.
Lujan Grisham, who previously declared a state of emergency in Lincoln County and the Mescalero Apache Reservation because of the fires, said three flood rescues have taken place and several people are still missing.
Melanie Stansbury, who represents New Mexico’s First Congressional District, said during a news conference Wednesday night that fires are expected to continue burning in the coming days.
According to New Mexico police on Wednesday, the two people who died were found Tuesday in or near the village of Ruidoso, NM, located between two fires. A victim identified by police as Patrick Pearson, 60, was found on the side of the road near a motel with burns, police said. The other victim, found in the driver’s seat of a burned-out vehicle on the road, was not immediately identified.
Temperatures reached the upper 80s and 90s in Southern New Mexico on Wednesday before a storm brought torrential rain to the Ruidoso area in the afternoon, the National Weather Service said. on social networkswith some areas receiving 2.5 inches of rain in half an hour.
“Water rescues are ongoing in the Ruidoso area as floodwaters rush down slopes from nearby burns,” the National Weather Service said on social media Wednesday, describing the situation as “ very dangerous”. It declared a flash flood emergency for Ruidoso and several surrounding areas, and issued severe thunderstorm and flood warnings for several counties in New Mexico. Officials in Ruidoso said on Wednesday That afternoon they stopped operations in some areas near the fire because of the warnings. “As units and crews leave these areas, they will evacuate anyone still in the area to higher ground,” officials said on social media. Earlier, firefighters in air tankers and helicopters dropped water and fire retardants, while firefighters on the ground built fire lines.
The Red Cross said Wednesday that more than 528 people had sought refuge at nine emergency shelters and that hundreds of meals and snacks had been provided to them. The organization said it was also providing emotional support, relief supplies and medical services, and that more disaster relief workers were on the way.
The South Fork fire was discovered around 9 a.m. Monday in the Mescalero Apache tribal area. The Salt Fire was discovered a few miles away Monday afternoon and has since burned more than 7,000 acres of tribal land in difficult-to-reach mountain terrain.
About 8,000 people were evacuated from Ruidoso and the surrounding area as of Tuesday night, New Mexico’s forestry department said.
Victor Mather And Aimee Ortiz Report contributions.
