Update on Ruidoso wildfires Tuesday morning after mandatory evacuations
RUIDOSO, N.M. -- The Village of Ruidoso on Monday announced evacuations for the entire village as the South Fork Fire threatens the area. Officials posted an update Tuesday morning and said the South Fork Fire and Salt Fire were both at 0% containment.
As of 8:00 a.m. Tuesday, the Village of Ruidoso said the South Fork Fire was burning at 13,921 acres and the Salt Fire was at 4,876 acres. You can find a map of the fires here.
"There will be massive air attacks today and dozer lines are being cut," the Village of Ruidoso said.
Just before 8:00 p.m. on Monday, an immediate mandatory "GO" evacuation was issued for the Village of Ruidoso. The village urged residents not to try to gather belongings or protect their homes. Both Highway 48 and Highway 70 at Apache Summit were closed. Officials said the fire was burning on Mescalero Apache Tribal land and in the areas surrounding Ruidoso.
Mandatory evacuation areas:
- All of Ruidoso Downs
- All of the Village of Ruidoso
- Upper Canyon
- Brady Canyon
- Ponderosa Heights
- Alpine Village
- Cedar Creek
- Lower Eagle Creek
- Alto Lakes
- Sonterra 1, 2 and 3
- All of Alto up to the Outlaw Golf Course
- West Gavilan
- Sun Valley
- Sierra Vista
- Villa Madonna
- Ski Run Road
- All areas west of Highway 48
- All of Gavilan Canyon Road from Highway 48 to McDonald's
Evacuation routes and road closures:
- Highway 380 is open through Hondo.
- State Highway 48 is immediately closed from Alpine Village to State Highway 220.
- US 70 is closed from mile marker 249 (intersection with NM 244), 4 miles east of Mescalero, to mile marker 258, 2 miles east of Carrizo.
The Clovis Fire Department mobilized a task force to help assist with the fires, according to a social media post.
You can find a map of evacuations here. Find additional information on the Village of Ruidoso Facebook page or website.