![Smoke from the South Fork Fire reflects a pink hue during sunrise Tuesday as law enforcement officials turn motorists off State Route 220 and State Route 48 due to a wildfire burning near Ruidoso, New Mexico.](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/2081x1561+268+0/resize/1100/quality/100/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fcb%2F96%2F36568cae4d29a187dd412a11b56b%2Fap24170753861222.jpg)
Smoke from the South Fork Fire reflects a pink hue during sunrise Tuesday as law enforcement officials turn motorists off State Route 220 and State Route 48 due to a wildfire burning near Ruidoso, New Mexico.
Chancey Bush/AP/Albuquerque Journal
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Chancey Bush/AP/Albuquerque Journal
SANTA FE, N.M. — Thousands of southern New Mexico residents fled their mountain town after a wind-driven wildfire swept through homes and other buildings, killing at least one person. Authorities warned that the danger was far from over.
New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham declared a state of emergency for Ruidoso and nearby tribal lands and deployed National Guard troops to the area. A top fire management team is expected to take over on Wednesday and winds will continue to pose a challenge to crews, officials said.
The governor's office confirmed the death but said it had no other details.
Christy Hood, a real estate agent in Ruidoso, said the evacuation order came down so quickly Monday that she and her husband, Richard, only had time to take their two children and two dogs.
![In the United States, wildfire smoke kills thousands of people every year.](https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2024/04/16/gettyimages-1365411852_sq-e4fc032b17f576f91b25cb173a673dae4dbb1946.jpg?s=100&c=100&f=jpeg)
“When we left, sparks flew in front of me and beside me,” she said. “And all the animals were running and charging and trying to get out.”
The family left Ruidoso, but traffic jams turned what was supposed to be a 15-minute drive out of town into a harrowing two-hour ordeal.
“It felt like the sky was on fire. “It was bright orange,” she said. “To be honest, it looked like the apocalypse. It was horrible, sparks were falling on us.”
More than 500 structures were destroyed or damaged, but it is unclear how many homes were damaged. Lujan Grisham said a flyover was planned for Tuesday night to provide more accurate mapping and a better damage assessment.
“It will allow us to see inside the fire in a way we can’t do now because it’s so dangerous to be in the middle of a fire,” she said.
The emergency declaration frees up funding and resources to manage the crisis in Lincoln County and the Mescalero Apache Reservation. Lujan Grisham said the two fires combined burned more than 31 square miles.
![People relax in a cooling station at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland, Oregon, during the record-breaking heat wave of 2021. FEMA has never responded to an extreme heat emergency, but there is hope that will change.](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/5097x5097+1275+0/resize/100/quality/100/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F55%2F59%2Fe29b67e84094badc5b007daffffd%2Fgettyimages-1233709080.jpg)
It is reported that other than one person who died, no one was seriously injured.
Nationwide, wildfires have burned more than 8,495 square kilometers (3,280 square miles) this year, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. This is higher than the 10-year average. About 20 wildfires currently burning are considered major wildfires, including those in California and Washington state.
On Tuesday, two wildfires threatened the high-elevation vacation resort of Ruidoso, nestled within the Lincoln National Forest. Nearby is a casino, golf course and ski resort run by the Mescalero Apache Tribe. The cause of the fire is not yet known, but the Southwest Coordination Center has classified it as human-caused.
New Mexico has been grappling with a series of devastating wildfires in recent years, including the 2022 blazes caused by a pair of U.S. Forest Service-mandated blazes. These fires combined to become the largest wildfire on state record amid drought conditions. A separate fire in Ruidoso that year destroyed 200 homes and killed two people.
This week, Ruidoso officials were at a loss for words as smoke filled the sky Monday evening and flames as high as 100 feet rose onto the ridge. “Go now: Do not try to gather your belongings or secure your home. Evacuate immediately.”
Jacquie and Ernie Escajeda were at church in Ruidoso, about 130 miles (210 kilometers) southeast of Albuquerque, on Monday when they heard about the fire from about 20 miles (30 kilometers) away. By mid-morning, smoke was rising over the mountain behind the house and the smell filled the air.
![Residents of the Mescalero Apache Reservation rest as they evacuate Tuesday at the Inn of the Mountain Gods Resort in Ruidoso, New Mexico.](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/4401x3301+245+0/resize/1100/quality/100/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fec%2F60%2Fa8e55245456990c020c2fac755cf%2Fap24171012662057.jpg)
Residents of the Mescalero Apache Reservation rest as they evacuate Tuesday at the Inn of the Mountain Gods Resort in Ruidoso, New Mexico.
Andres Layton/AP/AP
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Andres Layton/AP/AP
The couple started looking at their phones and turned on the radio for updates. Ernie Escajeda said it's not “ready” or “ready,” just “go.” They grabbed their legal documents and other belongings and headed out.
“Within an hour, the police department, the fire department, everyone was blocking the roads into our area, putting up barricades and telling everyone to leave,” he said. “I’m glad we were prepared.”
On Tuesday morning, they learned their best friend's home did not survive the fire, Jacquie Escajeda said.
“There is only one house in the entire small area where they live, so a lot of structures have been lost,” she said. “We have no idea if we will have a home to go to.”
New Mexico utility companies have shut off power to parts of town due to wildfires. Ruidoso Downs, where horse racing is held, and Lincoln Medical Center were evacuated late Tuesday.
With the highway closed, many evacuees were forced to flee east to the city of Roswell, 70 miles (121 kilometers) away, where hotels and shelters were located. Rural gas stations along the evacuation route were overflowing with people and cars.
“The Walmart parking lot is full of people in RVs,” said Enrique Moreno, director of Roswell Community Disaster Relief. “Every hotel in Roswell is full right now. … When you go to a gas station, you see a lot of people hanging around the cars.”
Animals and livestock were taken to the state fairgrounds in Roswell, including five horses and four llamas that arrived Monday night, according to office manager Leslie Robertson. Robertson said 30 more horses were headed Tuesday evening.
The South Fork Fire and the smaller Salt Fire both started on the Mescalero Apache Reservation, where the tribal president has declared a state of emergency.