The South Fork Fire was a wildfire in
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...
that burned before being declared 99% contained as of July 15, 2024.
The fire began on June 17 near the town of
Ruidoso and grew very rapidly, surpassing 15,000 acres burned by the following day and destroying at least 1400 houses and structures. Investigators have stated that a lightning strike caused the fire.
[https://www.kob.com/new-mexico/new-mexico-investigators-say-lightning-strike-caused-south-fork-fire/]
A
state of emergency
A state of emergency is a situation in which a government is empowered to put through policies that it would normally not be permitted to do, for the safety and protection of its citizens. A government can declare such a state before, during, o ...
was also declared by New Mexico Governor
Michelle Lujan Grisham
Michelle Lujan Grisham ( ; born October 24, 1959) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the List of governors of New Mexico, 32nd governor of New Mexico since 2019. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, Lu ...
.
Incidents
The South Fork Fire was first reported near
Ruidoso near the
Mescalaro Apache Reservation on June 17, 2024, at approximately 9:07 AM
MDT.
Extreme fire behavior occurred across the South Fork on June 18, with
crowning observed. Air resources worked in conjunction with ground resources, firefighters and heavy equipment, to continue constructing protective
firelines including around structures. Firefighters quickly put out a
spot fire
A wildfire, forest fire, or a bushfire is an unplanned and uncontrolled fire in an area of combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire may be more specifically identified as a bushfire ( in Australia), desert ...
on the South Fork Fire on June 18.
On June 18, 2024, New Mexico Governor
Michelle Lujan Grisham
Michelle Lujan Grisham ( ; born October 24, 1959) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the List of governors of New Mexico, 32nd governor of New Mexico since 2019. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, Lu ...
declared a state of emergency in
Lincoln County and the
Mescalero Apache Reservation
Mescalero or Mescalero Apache () is an Apache tribe of Southern Athabaskan–speaking Native Americans. The tribe is federally recognized as the Mescalero Apache Tribe of the Mescalero Apache Reservation, located in south-central New Mexico.
In ...
due to the South Fork Fire and nearby
Salt Fire.
That same day it was reported that one person had died from the fire. The following day another person was reported to have died due to the fire, as a result of the fire burning the vehicle they were in.
State and federal officials responded with over 800 firefighters and 40 Army and Air National Guardsmen to assist state police with traffic checkpoints.
Closures
Various roads were closed due to the fire including stretches of
Highway 48 and
Highway 70 near Ruidoso, State Highway 48 from Alpine Village to
State Highway 220 and
U.S. Route 70
U.S. Route 70 or U.S. Highway 70 (US 70) is an east–west United States highway that runs for from eastern North Carolina to east-central Arizona. It is a major east–west highway of the Southeastern, Southern and Southwestern United States ...
from mile marker 249 to mile marker 258.
Evacuations
On June 17, 2024, at 7 PM
MDT, just under 10 hours after the fire had begun, the entire town of
Ruidoso,
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...
was ordered to evacuate. Several evacuation centers have been set up in the city of
Roswell, about 75 miles east of Ruidoso.
Damage
Reports indicate that more than 1,400 structures have been destroyed by the fire.
See also
*
Salt Fire, a wildfire burning near the South Fork Fire
References
{{2024 wildfires
2024 New Mexico wildfires
June 2024 in the United States
Lincoln County, New Mexico