Team scours fire-ravaged New Mexico community for remains of missing people

As residents returned to a fire-ravaged village in the mountains of southern New Mexico, the mayor warned them Monday that some parts of Ruidoso remain off-limits as special search and rescue teams sift through the charred rubble along the roads. most affected streets.

They are searching for the remains of people who are still missing after the South Fork and Salt fires devastated the area a few days agokilling at least two people, forcing thousands to flee, and destroying more than 1,500 structures.

Mayor Lynn Crawford put the number of missing at 29. Village officials said in a Sunday night update that search teams have identified possible additional deaths, but any confirmation will have to be made by investigators.

“The search and rescue teams are there and they have canines, so they still go from property to property to property,” Crawford said during his radio address Monday morning.

With cellphone service dropping during last week’s evacuations, communication became nearly impossible. Although service is slowly being restored, some residents said Monday they are still having difficulty connecting.

The 29 people on the list have not been in contact with friends or family since last Monday. The list was longer just a day ago, but village officials have been using social media and working with the American Red Cross to mark evacuees as “safe” as soon as they are heard.

Authorities have blocked traffic in so-called exclusion zones to ensure these areas remain intact until they are officially cleared. The FBI is also investigating, offering up to $10,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for the human-caused fires.

The flames were first reported on June 17. Within hours, fires spread through dry parts of the Sacramento Mountains, from Mescalero Apache tribal land toward Ruidoso. Evacuation orders included thousands of homes, businesses and the Ruidoso Downs horse racing track, triggering traffic jams like people dropped everything and ran away.

Village officials estimate that several hundred homes were among the destroyed or damaged structures. Assessments continued on Monday, when some residents were allowed to return. Images shared on social media showed some houses reduced to ashes, with only the foundations or fireplaces remaining standing. Charred vehicles and twisted metal roofs stood on hillsides where homes once stood.

Some properties were saved, although the ponderosa pines that once surrounded them had blackened trunks and their needles were singed.

The village created temporary accommodation for around 500 people and food and other supplies were distributed. Authorities encouraged residents who returned on Monday to bring bottled water and a week’s worth of food, as some public services have not yet been restored.

Several dozen members of the New Mexico Army and Air National Guard were stationed in Ruidoso to help. Utility workers were also installing new power poles and stringing wires throughout the community. Workers from the New Mexico Environmental Department were testing the drinking water system.

President Joe Biden issued a disaster declaration to parts of southern New Mexico last Thursday, freeing up funding and resources to help with housing and other fire-related emergency work.

The two fires burned about 104 square kilometers. Monday brought another day of light rain and higher humidity levels, aiding firefighters as they reinforced lines around the perimeter. Full containment is not expected until July 15, according to fire officials.

Authorities also warned residents to be aware of the potential for flash flooding if more rain fell on the bare mountain slopes.

Kerry Gladden, spokesperson for the village of Ruidoso, noted that wildfires are nothing new in the Sacramento Mountains. But she called it “a whole other level of devastation.”

“It takes your breath away when you see it,” she told the Associated Press. “And you know, we are resilient and we will rebuild and we will definitely come back from this. But man, it’s hard to see that right now.”