Blue 2 fire grows to 7,000 acres in New Mexico; evacuations underway
RUIDOSO, N.M. (KFOX) — A wildfire continues to spread in southern New Mexico, just outside of Ruidoso.
Large white clouds of smoke can be seen emanating from what has been dubbed the Blue 2 fire.
Monday marked 11 days of the fire in Lincoln National Forest.
The fire started when lightning struck the remnants of the Little Bear fire that happened in the same area about 12 years ago.
“There was a lot of dead and down timber trees fuel that has just been sitting there for the last 12 years. And so it's very combustible,” Loretta Benavidez, the public spokesperson for the Incident Management Team, said. “When that lightning ignition hit right there, then it began to spread."
The Incident Management Team is made up of several federal agencies.
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The Blue 2 fire has been growing over time and is now encompassing nearly 7,000 acres of land, according to Benavidez.
Benavidez said over 500 people have worked both day and night to control the massive blaze.
“We have 11 crews, 23 engines for helicopters, and two bulldozers that are signed with a total of 532 people. We're showing 0% containment,” Benavidez said.
The fire has since moved towards some residential areas, according to Benavidez.
“There are homes out in front of that but there are also structural fire firefighters that are assigned to that area so that they're in place to prepare for the advancement of the fire,” Benavidez said.
About 750 people living in several different locations were evacuated from their homes.
Meantime 1800 others are on standby, meaning they've been told to be ready to leave at a moment's notice, according to the Lincoln County Office of Emergency Management.
“Right now, it seems to be heading in a northeast direction," Benavidez said. "There are homes out in front of that but there are also structural fire firefighters that are assigned to that area so that they're in place to prepare for the advancement of the fire.”
Larry Lasher is among the 1800 people who are just waiting to get a call.
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"Fire always makes us nervous here. And we're always very careful to pay close attention to what's going on with the fire," Lasher said. "We're ready to evacuate if we need to."
However, Benavidez said it is hard to predict if or when that could happen.
“They're watching that carefully. And if they see that there's a continual progression towards that area, then they're identifying that in a very timely basis so that there's not a panic, evacuation that's involved,” Benavidez said.
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