Dramatic video footage and maps have shown how rapidly a wildfire engulfed parts of New Mexico.
Residents of an entire town were forced to flee their homes without any possessions due to the fire, which spread quickly and remained uncontained on Tuesday morning.
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The 7,000 residents of Ruidoso, a village in southern New Mexico, were told to evacuate immediately on Monday by officials after the South Fork Wildfire burning in their region was determined to have zero percent containment.
Ruidoso locals did not have time to collect their bags or plan an escape route. The evacuation notice, published by officials at 7pm on Monday read: "Do not attempt to gather belongings or protect your home. Evacuate immediately."
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The South Fork Fire is not the only uncontained fire in the state. Maps show how the Blue 2 Fire is active and uncontained just 9.7 miles north of Ruidoso, and the Trails Fire is burning just 0.5 miles north of nearby town Mescalero.
Mary Katherine Ray, a member of the nature conservancy group The Sierra Club, told Newsweek that in her 50 years as a member of the group, she never expected for fires to become so frequent and so large.
She said that although fires are common in New Mexico, the changing environment and the rate of deforestation may make them much more damaging.
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"My heart goes out the people of Ruidoso. Not only for the loss of property, but places in the forest are burning that I know people have come to love. Even if your house doesn't burn, it will be a big adjustment to return," she said.
Maps show that in total there were 66 fires burning across the state on Tuesday morning, six of which were classified as "large," including the three close to Ruidoso.
Samantha Melendez, from El Paso, found herself stuck between two fires while evacuating Ruidoso. She was in town celebrating Father's Day when she got the evacuation notice.
She then posted to her Instagram story, saying: "This is the road that is supposed to lead us out of Ruidoso but there's another fire over there, so they're not letting us leave." She eventually made it to El Paso safely that evening.
According to Melendez, the fire grew exponentially throughout the day. When she initially set off hiking with her family, they saw a little white smoke, but thought nothing of it. By the time they returned to their cabin at lunchtime, the whole sky was red.
"My dad was freaking out," said Melendez. "I had to calm him down and stop him from yelling and rushing."
The 23-year-old said that by the time they were able to ask a ranger what was going on, the town was already in "set mode." This is the term for an evacuation which means citizens should leave if they can, especially if something might slow them down while evacuating later. It is one class below "go mode" which is to leave immediately without any possessions.
She said: "It's scary to think if it started sooner, what could have happened [because] we were still asleep."
Ruidoso local, Lyz Foster, was in Texas when the fires started and was driving to her next destination when she got an initial call about a fire.
The entire town of Ruidoso, New Mexico is being evacuated… population nearly 8,000 people. #wildfire #nmfire
— The Hotshot Wake Up (@HotshotWake) June 18, 2024
The South Fork, Salt, and Penn Scott Fires have turned into this town’s worst nightmare. I have fought fire there numerous times, including on the Blue 2 Fire.
This… pic.twitter.com/4ctiTuZNXY
She said: "By the time I arrived [at my destination] it had already doubled in size. The first hour I was here it had doubled in size again." She said she planned on staying in Texas for the night and then returning, but then she got the official evacuation notice. She does not know when she can return.
Foster was waiting for news from an app called Watch Duty. The app was keeping residents informed on the state of the fire and on when the evacuation notice will be lifted. She added: "We all need prayers right now. That's all we've got."
According to heat maps on Windy.com the risk of fire spread is classed as "extreme" all the way from central Mexico to central Wyoming. Wildfires have gotten stronger and more damaging in the past 20 years.
Out of the 20 wildfires that each caused more than $1 billion worth of damage between 1980-2021, 16 of them occurred after the year 2000.
Fires do not only bring destruction to homes, but can cause severe lung damage if inhaled. Ruidoso is currently also battling an unhealthy air quality alert.
The American Thoracic Society advises anyone caught in a fire to stay indoors if possible, to use the "fan setting" on their air conditioning, and to reduce strenuous physical activity. If people have to go outside they should wear a protective mask, such as an N95.
