Thousands flee wildfire as New Mexico governor declares emergency

A Rancho Realista in a Rural Fire Survivor’s Report: The Mescalero Apache Reservation was Destroyed by Wildfires

There are a lot of structures lost because there is only one home in the whole division. “We have no idea if we’re going to have a home to go to.”

Public Service Company of New Mexico shut off power to part of the village due to wildfire. The Lincoln Medical Center and the Ruidoso Downs were evacuated.

With the highways closed, many people had to flee eastward and into the city of Roswell, which had hotels and shelters set up. A rural gas station along the evacuation route was overrun with people and cars.

According to the office manager, the horses and llamas arrived at the state fair in Roswell as part of the move. Robertson said 30 more horses were headed her way Tuesday evening.

Both the South Fork Fire and the smaller Salt Fire started on the Mescalero Apache Reservation where the tribe’s president declared a state of emergency.

The police department, fire department, and everybody else blocked the roads to our area and told everyone to leave within an hour. Thank you so much we were ready.

The couple turned on the radio for updates while they watched their cellphones. There was no “get ready,” nor “get set” — it was just “go,” Ernie Escajeda said. They took legal documents and belongings and left.

Emergency Management in the Ruidoso Vacuum and Burning Village: A Wildfires Prepared for a Fourth-Generation Earthquake

Two people were killed in the fires, one of which was found by the side of the road near a motel and the other in the vehicle that burned in the village of Ruidoso. Some 8,000 Ruidoso residents remain under evacuation orders.

This week, the Ruidoso officials said “Go NOW: Do not attempt to gather belongings or protect your home” as the fire jumped a ridgeline and smoke darkened the evening sky. Evacuate immediately.”

New Mexico has grappled in recent years with a devastating series of wildfires, including a 2022 blaze caused by a pair of prescribed fires set by the U.S. Forest Service that merged during drought conditions to become the largest wildfire in the state’s recorded history. Two people were killed and 200 homes were destroyed in a fire in Ruidoso.

The declaration of an emergency frees up funding and resources to manage crises in Lincoln County and the Mescalero Apache Reservation. The fires have consumed more than 30 square miles.

More than 500 structures have been destroyed or damaged, but it’s unclear how many were homes. Lujan Grisham said that a flyover was planned Tuesday night to provide a better assessment of damage.

Tropical Storms and Fires Surrounding the Central Coast of the United States as Alberto Pedestered through the Southern Hemisphere

The sky looked to be on fire. She said it was bright orange. It looked like the apocalypse. It was terrifying and sparks were falling on us.”

“As we were leaving, there were flames in front of me and to the side of me,” she said. “And all the animals were just running — charging — trying to get out.”

Christy Hood, a real estate agent in Ruidoso, said the evacuation order Monday came so quickly that she and her husband Richard, only had time to grab their two children and two dogs.

The National Guard has been deployed to the area after New Mexico governor declared a state of emergency. A top-level fire management team is expected to take over Wednesday, and winds will continue to challenge crews, officials said.

The Aero Fire in Calaveras County (southwest of Sacramento) is 52 percent contained as of Thursday morning, and the Sites Fire in Colusa County (north of San Francisco) is 15 percent contained.

Member station KQED reports that climate experts are warning of a busy California wildfire season, especially in September and October when conditions are even drier.

Alberto drenched coastal Texas as it made its way to Mexico on Wednesday, soaking numerous Deep South cities with between 2 and 5 inches of rain. It was a tropical depression when it made its way through Mexico on Thursday.

For example, it said the storm surge flooded the city of Surfside Beach, but that no injuries were reported. The city of Laredo quickly closed their emergency shelters because no one showed up.

Montana thoery saw a record breaking number of temperature records in the last few days after Alberto tapered off Thursday. A tropical depression, thunder storms and cold front

As the rains and winds associated with Alberto taper off on Thursday, forecasters already have their eyes on the next possible storm brewing in the western Atlantic.

The National Hurricane Center tweeted that the area of low pressure could become a tropical depression before it reaches the coast of northeast Florida or Georgia on Friday.

Thunderstorms on Wednesday night brought flash flooding, mudslides and a massive dust storm known as a haboob to parts of the state. Forecasters say thunderstorms will continue through Friday, though it’s unclear how much they will aid in quelling the fires.

Areas of higher elevation, including the Showdown ski mountain, were hit with snow. The final day of spring broke records across Montana as the cold front continued into Wednesday.

The U.S. has had a number of extreme and varied weather events at once, from a long period of heat in the Northeast to the deadly fires in New Mexico to the tropical storm that slammed the Gulf Coast.

It can take a few days or weeks for a heat domes to last. And they’re among the many extreme weather events, including storms and droughts, that are becoming more common and intense as a result of climate change.

Parts of Maine, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire and Vermont, among others, shattered temperature records, some that stood for more than 100 years.

People without an air conditioning are being urged to take steps to stay safe, as forecasters say record warm overnight temperatures will prevent natural cooling.

The temperature in California’s Central Valley and the Great Basin is expected to reach triple digits over the weekend after the temperatures rise in the west.

Parts of Montana and Idaho were under a winter storm warning earlier this week, and nearly one million residents of the West were either under a winter weather or frost advisory on Monday morning.