SANTA FE, N.M. — Thousands of residents fled their homes as a wildfire swept into the mountain village of Ruidoso in southern New Mexico on Tuesday, destroying or damaging more than 500 structures.
The governor said her emergency declaration unlocks additional funding and resources to manage the crisis in Lincoln County and the Mescalero Apache Reservation. She said nearly 20,000 acres have been consumed, an area larger than 31 square miles . “As we were leaving, there were flames in front of me and to the side of me,” she said. “And all the animals were just running — charging — trying to get out.”
Jacquie and Ernie Escajeda were at church Monday in Ruidoso, located about 130 miles southeast of Albuquerque, when they heard about a fire in a nearby community about 20 miles away. They said they didn’t think much of it, but by mid-morning, smoke rose above a mountain behind their house and the smell filled the air.
“They lost their home,” she said. “There’s only one home standing in their whole little division that they live in, so there are a lot of structures lost. We have no idea if we’re going to have a home to go to.” Amid highway closures, many evacuees had little choice but to flee eastward onto the Great Plains and the city of Roswell, 75 miles away, where hotels and shelters quickly filled. A rural gas station along the evacuation route was overrun with people and cars.
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