RUIDOSO, N.M.—A wildfire burning in the mountain community of Ruidoso that has destroyed an estimated 36 structures and forced the evacuation of hundreds of people has burned more than 26,000 acres.
Dan Ware, a spokesman with New Mexico State Forestry, says that infrared mapping done overnight shows that the Little Bear fire has grown to more than 26,000 acres, or 40 square miles.
That's more than double Saturday's estimate of 10,000 acres, but fire crews say the growth is due to more accurate mapping.
Crews had estimated that 20 structures were destroyed, but increased that to 36 on Sunday. They could not say how many of the structures were homes.
New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez was visiting Ruidoso on Sunday to get the latest developments and attend a meeting updating the public on firefighting efforts.
Here is what I know, the fire was 400 acres Friday(when I first saw the smoke), 10,000 acres Saturday, and 26000 acres today. Upper Canyon has been evacuated, Along with Alto and a bunch of places up north. It hasn't reached Capitan but it has crossed the highway. The national guard has been called and the Governor is here.. I'd say the fire is about 6 miles from here and the wind is still not heading toward us, they haven't asked us to pack yet. keep ya posted.
Dad sent me some of his pics of the approaching fireline, that I haven't the time nor the skill to re-post, so here's a reporter's photo;
I'm not worried; PapaTekko has faced many a wild fire before, and they have mucho familia in the NewMex desert valley to drive the truck to. He's a direct desendant of one of Pancho Villa's revolutionaries, he can handle it.
Viva la Raza!
...real life has been so much more exciting this year, than this cyber-soap opera*
No word from Dad; he must have been evacuated. He's been caught up in what's being called the Little Bear Fire ... a history note: this name is a reference to the little bear found in New Mexico, high up in a tree, after a wild fire had passed. That baby was later called 'Smokey the Bear'.
SANTA FE/DENVER (Reuters) - Some of the 2,500 people forced to evacuate their central New Mexico houses by wildfires raging near the resort village of Ruidoso began returning home on Thursday with the help of National Guard troops, officials said.
Evacuees from five communities have started heading home, but residents of four other neighborhoods around Ruidoso and the Lincoln National Forest, including those who lived in 230 burned homes, have yet to be allowed to.
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http://www.stevebalt.com"There are still hot spots and active fire burning," said fire information officer Jimmye Turner. "We won't let people in until those areas are safe."
The Little Bear Fire, sparked by lightning on June 4, has consumed 37,912 acres of the Lincoln National Forest.
More than 1,300 firefighters and others have be working to cope with the disaster, including 400 National Guardsmen ordered to protect property and assist evacuations and returns.
Firefighters have been able to contain 40 percent of the blaze, helped by low winds and higher humidity. However, higher winds and temperatures on Thursday were igniting previously unburned islands within containment lines, Turner said.
In southeastern New Mexico, firefighters continued to battle what is known as the Whitewater-Baldy Complex fire, the largest in the state's history. The 289,478-acre fire is now 56 percent contained, officials said.
However, in neighboring Colorado, a blaze known as the High Park Fire, which has scorched 52,000 acres of timber and dried brush, is only 15-20 percent under control, despite the efforts of 1,200 firefighters, fire managers said.
The Colorado fire has destroyed more than 100 structures - including more than 30 homes - in the rugged mountain canyons 15 miles west of Fort Collins. It is blamed for one death.
Hundreds of people remain under evacuation orders, but some residents on the south side of the fire have been allowed home.
The western edge of the fire has moved into the Roosevelt National Forest, where there are fewer homes and denser concentrations of trees. The fire made a run into the stands of dead trees on Wednesday, sending a mushroom cloud of smoke some 30,000 feet into the air that was visible for hundreds of miles.
Officials have warned residents of a 1,000-home subdivision at the mouth of Poudre Canyon to "move out quickly" should flames jump the Poudre River and move into the canyon.
(Editing by Corrie MacLaggan and David Brunnstrom)
