On Sunday, the Southwest Area Incident Management Team said in a release that fire suppression efforts continue, but hazards remain in the area impacted by the fires. Officials are still conducting damage and structure assessments.
The South Fork fire on Sunday was reported to be at 17,551 acres while the Salt fire was at 7,775 acres. Containment on the South Fork fire was at 31 percent while the Salt fire was 7 percent contained, according to officials.
Community Meeting on fires
The Southwest Area Incident Management Team 5 will hold a meeting with officials from the region Sunday evening that will be streamed live at 5 p.m. (MDT): https://www.facebook.com/SWIMT5.
Weather
Officials said in a release that precipitation on Saturday made it difficult for crews to access some areas. They added the potential for scattered storms are possible on Sunday and weather conditions will allow firefighters to continue securing a perimeter while responding to hot spots in the fire area. Officials said these fires are a long-duration event and weather changes could have an impact on the fires.
Evacuations:
Evacuations and closures are transitioning, according to officials. A closure order was issued for national forest lands within the Smokey Bear Ranger District. The Village of Ruidoso announced on Saturday that only full-time residents will be able to return Monday morning at 8 a.m. with proof of residency. However, they warn utilities may be out so village officials are telling returning residents to bring at least a week’s worth of food and drinking water.
Information on evacuations can be found at https://www.lincolncountynm.gov/ and https://www.ruidoso-nm.gov/south-fork-fire for the latest information or by calling the Lincoln County Emergency Operations Center at 575-258-6900 if you have questions.
The incident management team says returning evacuees should take extra precautions as emergency crews and fire vehicles are still working in the area. A temporary flight restriction is still in place over the areas affected by the fires.
Officials warn that unsanctioned drones put responders and the public at risk.
Over 1,100 personnel are working to take on the fires in the region that were first discovered on Monday, June 17th.
Smoke:
On Sunday officials said that light smoke was seen on both fires over the weekend and should remain light to moderate on Sunday. To find out more information on smoke: https://outlooks.wildlandfiresmoke.net/outlook/430b2c05.
Additional information:
Public Information Line: 575-323-8258 or 575-323-8378
Inciweb: https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-information/nmmea-south-fork-and-salt
Smoke Outlook: https://outlooks.wildlandfiresmoke.net/outlook/430b2c05
Mescalero Apache Tribe: https://mescaleroapachetribe.com
