Evacuation orders coming in late Friday covered about 60 percent of the estimated 4,500 people who were ordered to flee their homes by the start of the fire on Tuesday, Village of Ruidoso spokesman Kerry Gladden told the Associated Press on Saturday. Evacuation estimates had previously been put at around 5,000 people. “The big story is that we are in a state of repopulation,” Gladen said earlier in the day. These evacuation orders, which remain in force, may be lifted in the coming days, officials said. Those waiting to return were Barbara Arthur, the owner of a 28-site wooded RV park that was damaged by the wind but did not burn. “We feel blessed,” said Arthur, who was staying at a motel on Saturday preparing taco ingredients to go to another RV park for dinner with people displaced by the fire, including some of its occupants. Arthur said the fire came 0.8 miles from her park and she saw flames as it was evacuated. “It’s the scariest thing I’ve ever experienced in my 71 years,” he said. Bob Moroney, who works for a night rental company at Ruidoso River Resort, said three different groups, about 15 people in total, had been displaced by the fire and were staying in units in the complex. “These are literally people who left for work in the morning and never returned home,” he said, adding that for many, their homes were “total losses.” At this point they are only in chimneys and foundations “. Moroney, a qualified broker for Keller Williams Casa Ideal, said that for now, the displaced are simply trying to decompress as they understand insurance and other next steps. Fire Commander Dave Bales said crews worked to extinguish the hotspots and clear lines along the perimeter of the fire to prevent the fire from spreading. The fire has not been contained, but Bales expressed a mixture of satisfaction with the work done so far and the prospects for the coming days. Weather conditions on Saturday appeared favorable with reduced wind and increased humidity, Bales said. “We have lines inside. We just want to make sure they hold that wind,” he said. The fire and the winds that spread it tore down power cables and cut off power to 18,000 customers. Electricity has been restored to all but a few dozen customers, said Wilson Guinn, director of Public Service Co. However, people returning home had to be careful and call public utilities if they encountered damaged lines, Guinn said. “We may have lost something,” Guinn said. “Do not try to touch them, fix them, wrap them, anything.” Gladen, the village spokesman, said residents should also be aware that strong winds earlier in the week may have destroyed trees that could fall or lose limbs. “It’s important that what started this whole event was a major storm,” he said. Telephone lines ignited Friday afternoon as residents reported more smoke, which according to fire information officer Mike De Fries was caused by outbreaks inside the fire as the flames found containers of unburned fuel. The fire started in the neighborhood and then spread to more remote areas, De Fries said on Saturday. Authorities are investigating the causes. “What you have here in Ruidoso are areas where houses are being destroyed, many houses are being destroyed in neighborhoods,” De Fries said. “And then there are the clear evidence and the trace of the fire as it went further north and west and in some cases from neighborhood to neighborhood as the village of Ruidoso burned to the north and east.” Authorities have not yet released the names of the couple who died. Their bodies were found after anxious family members contacted police, saying the couple had planned to evacuate on Tuesday when the fire broke out, but were ignored later that day. As of Saturday, the fire had burned 9.6 square miles (25 square kilometers) of timber and brush. Warmer and drier weather combined with decades of firefighting have helped increase the number of acres burned by the fires, say firefighters. The problem is exacerbated by a 20-year-long drought in the West that studies have linked to man-made climate change. There are other fires in the state, including the smaller Nogal Canyon fire northwest of Ruidoso. The fire was caused by damaged power lines, De Fries said, and has burned six homes and eight outbuildings. People have been ordered to leave the area. “We are at a time right now, even though it is very early in the year, where places like New Mexico had extra areas with extremely dry weather,” De Fries said. “Combining this with some winds, and you can see from the number of fires that take place and the number of new starts every day and every week that fire conditions are a major concern.” Ruidoso was the site of the most devastating fire in New Mexico’s recorded history a decade ago, when more than 240 homes burned and nearly 70 square miles (181 square kilometers) of forest were blackened by lightning. While many older residents call Ruidoso their home all year round, the population of about 8,000 increases to about 25,000 during the summer months as Texans and New Mexicans seek refuge in warmer climates. ——— This story has been edited to write a fire intelligence officer’s last name as De Fries, not DeFries. ——— Associated Press reporter Julie Walker contributed to this report.
