RUIDOSO, N.M. — As of June 21, the South Fork Fire has burned over 16,00 acres, and the Salt Fire has burned almost 8,000.
According to a press release published by the New Mexico Forestry Division, 22 crews have responded to the fire. Eighty-seven engines are being used to combat the fire, and over 1,000 firefighters are on the scene.
Both fires started on June 17, and it is believed that both were started when mixed conifer, grass, and pine/juniper went up in flame.
Utility services – including electricity, water, internet and phones – remain shutdown across the South Fork and Salt fires. Power and service outages will continue to impact communications, making it difficult to contact residents and visitors in the area.
But there has been some slight relief. The South Fork and Salt fires experienced minimal fire behavior on June 20 due to the variable precipitation on June 19 and persistent high humidity into the next day. Precipitation ranged from substantial rain and hail (up to 1.62 inches) to scarce sprinkles and scattered showers throughout day and overnight firefighting operations.
The cooler weather and moderate fire conditions observed on June 20 are expected to continue into June 21. Firefighters will continue constructing firelines and utilizing hand crews and bulldozers to protect homes, properties, and critical infrastructure.
Crews on the South Fork fire continue engaging the fire with hand tools directly at its edge, utilizing hose along handlines and dozer lines to extinguish smoldering fuels and building fireline with machinery. Firefighters will also continue to conduct mop up operations, extinguishing and/or removing burning material along the fire’s edge to reduce the likelihood of fire creeping past control lines, where feasible.
Firefighters on the Salt fire will construct control lines, prepare new line where needed and conduct point protection to protect private property and critical infrastructure in the area. Ground and air ignitions will be used where needed to burn out fuels between constructed firelines and active fire.
Damage and structure assessments have commenced, along with adding additional protection needs as they are discovered.
Smoke will continue to be observed across both the South Fork and Salt fires. Individuals sensitive to smoke should take precautions and use the New Mexico Department of Health 5-3-1 Visibility Method to determine if it’s safe to be outside.
www.nmfireinfo.com.Mandatory evacuation orders remain in effect for several areas in and near both the South Fork and Salt fires. Evacuation information can be found at www.nmfireinfo.com.
Road and trail closures are in effect throughout the fire area. Both Highway 48 and Highway 70 at Apache Summit are closed; the open evacuation route is Highway 70 to Roswell. State Hwy 48 is closed from Alpine Village/University to State Hwy 220. U.S. Hwy. 70 is is closed from mile marker 249 (intersection NM 244), four miles east of Mescalero, to mile marker 258, two miles east of Carrizo.
A South Fork Fire Emergency Closure Order was issued on June 20 for national forest lands within the Smokey Bear Ranger District. The identified areas, and roads and trails therein, are closed to public access to provide enhanced safety of firefighting personnel and the public.
