The area where the fire is burning continues to be at high risk of fire until at least Sunday, as drought and wind conditions are expected to continue unabated, CNN meteorologist Gene Norman said. Two people were killed in the blaze, state police said in a press release earlier this week. Firefighters battled the blaze Tuesday at a house in the village of Ruidoso, about 180 miles southeast of Albuquerque, according to the statement. That afternoon, local police learned that an elderly couple who tried to evacuate the fire “were ignored by family members,” the statement said. Authorities located the remains of two people in the house the next day, state police said. Others in the village told CNN’s KFOX subsidiary that the flames had taken them by surprise. Mary Smith, her 83-year-old husband, called her after she woke up and found that their neighborhood had been engulfed in flames. “She said, ‘My love, everything is burning around us, I have to get out of here,’” Mary Smith told the subsidiary. he was still asleep. “ After residents said they had not been notified of the blaze, the village of Ruidoso wrote on Facebook that it was aware of concerns about local sirens not sounding as the fire approached. Officials said in a Facebook comment that the cell and the electricity service were out of order due to damaged power lines, and although a warning was sent to residents, “these alerts were not delivered to all people” due to the holiday. “The sirens were also activated, but due to a power outage they were not working properly,” village officials wrote. “It was a rapid fire and the first responders went door to door to warn people to evacuate immediately.” “Obviously we found some weaknesses,” Ruidoso Mayor Lynn Crawford said during a virtual briefing Saturday night, adding that local officials were contacting the governor about the issue and the resources needed. New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham visited the village and met with local officials, writing on Twitter on Friday, “There is no doubt that the recovery will be a difficult process, but the state will be an active partner with Ruidoso and Lincoln County.” at every step “. The causes of the fire remain under investigation.
Several fires raise concerns
The McBride fire is not the only one burning parts of the state. The largest of the fires, the Hermits Peak Fire, burned for 10 days on Saturday and reached more than 7,300 acres. The blaze, which burned in parts of San Miguel County, was reduced by 46 percent on Saturday, with the help of more than 500 crew members battling the blaze, authorities said in a statement. Around Saturday afternoon, local officials said firefighters were struggling to contain some of the blaze, and said several nearby communities had been evacuated, while others had been instructed to prepare for possible evacuations. A red flag – indicating an increased risk of fire – was in effect overnight, officials said. Further south, the Nogal Canyon fire also jumped into restraint on Saturday, down from 42% overnight, down from 4% reported by officials earlier in the day. All evacuation orders arrived by nightfall, officials said during the briefing. The fires have raised air quality concerns, top state health and environment officials said on Friday, urging residents to protect themselves and learn ways to maintain air quality safety, such as “adjusting home air conditioning units.” to “recycle” during fires “. “said in a joint press release the state health and environment services. “There are air quality conditions that can be detrimental to the health of people at risk and can create unsafe driving conditions in areas directly affected by fires,” said David R. Scrase, deputy secretary of state for the health department of New Mexico. statement. “Exposure to tobacco can worsen conditions such as asthma, a chronic lung disease or cardiovascular disease,” Scrase added. CNN’s Chris Boyette and Paradise Afshar contributed to this report.