Twenty-nine people still missing
RUIDOSO, New Mexico — The South Fork and Salt fires are still burning, but residents were allowed to return to their homes starting at 8 am on June 24, a week after the fires reportedly started.
Two deaths have been reported, and over 23,00 structures have been affected. Over 8,000 people were displaced from their homes.
In a weekly radio program that was broadcast on June 24, Ruidoso Mayor Lynn Crawford said that 29 people were still unaccounted for.
Searchers were going into “exclusion zones,” areas where homes have burned and which have been badly damaged, and were “looking for individuals,” Crawford said. Search and rescue teams used dogs to go property to property looking for those who are still missing.
A change in the weather has helped firefighters battle the flames, although precipitation did cause a flooding risk. The New Mexico Forestry Division said that the fire behavior “has reduced to smoldering and creeping in heavy duff and dead/down fuels” but warned it can increase in pockets with warmer weather.
The cause of the fires is under investigation. The FBI has announced a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or people responsible for the fires.
Staff Reports
