The small New Mexican village of Ruidoso has been ravaged by heavy rain, forcing evacuations and water rescues, just days after a devastating wildfire that claimed at least two lives and destroyed over 1,400 buildings. The ferocity of the blaze was so intense that it forced the evacuation of 8,000 residents with little notice, leaving them to flee as flames rapidly spread across the village, as well as on land belonging to the Mescalero tribe and the US Forest Service. The National Weather Service declared a flash flood emergency in the area, warning people to seek higher ground as water rescues remained ongoing in the Ruidoso area.
The flooding brought an abrupt halt to the firefighting efforts, forcing some crews to evacuate as water surged down the slopes from nearby burn scars. The situation posed a significant challenge for firefighters, who were still battling to bring two large and growing wildfires under control. The South Fork fire has scorched over 16,000 acres, while the Salt fire covers over 7,000 acres. Both blazes remained at 0% containment on Thursday afternoon as crews worked to create fire lines and drop water and retardant from the air.
New Mexican RainsDespite the challenges, authorities have confirmed at least two deaths. A New Mexico state police spokesperson revealed that officers discovered the skeletal remains of an unidentified person in the driver’s seat of a burned vehicle. The first fire victim was a badly burned 60-year-old man found near the popular Swiss Chalet Inn in Ruidoso. Weather patterns were shifting, and moisture was arriving from the Gulf of Mexico, said Bladen Breitreiter of the National Weather Service office in Albuquerque. However, the rain also posed a new risk, as it could lead to dangerous flash flooding in newly burned areas.
It remains unclear whether the rain and hail that started around Ruidoso on Wednesday afternoon fell on the fires themselves or would slow their progress. The National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning for the area until later on Wednesday evening. Ruidoso and much of the southwest have been experiencing exceedingly dry and hot conditions this spring, which provided the perfect storm for rapid fire advancement. Homes, businesses, and regional medical facilities were among those affected, with at least 1,400 structures destroyed or damaged.