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Blue Front Fire continues to burn northwest of Ruidoso

wildfires update

The Blue Front Fire is burning in the White Mountain Wilderness of the Lincoln National Forest, about nine miles northwest of the Village of Ruidoso. The wildfire began on Monday, and as of Wednesday morning, is 316 acres and sits at 0% containment. There are no evacuation orders at this time, although homes in the Bonito Lake area are set to ‘ready’ status, meaning that residents should be prepared to evacuate. U.S. Forest Service officials say the cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Local fire crews are working to fully suppress the ongoing blaze, while crews and equipment from surrounding states continue to move into the area, according to the U.S. Forest Service. Amanda Fry, public information officer for the Lincoln National Forest, said that the fire’s expected to grow due current weather conditions.

“The winds are definitely our major concern at this point. We’ve got high level gusts of winds and warm temperatures. So that’s what our crews are working against right now. It’s also affecting our ability to get air support out there. So we’re working with those conditions to get that containment.”

The Blue Front Fire is currently moving through the burn scar of the Blue 2 Fire from earlier this year. Fry said that because of this, the blaze doesn’t have much live forest to burn through, and crews on the ground are working around the clock to set containment lines in order to protect surrounding communities.

“This is the last thing that any of us want to deal with. This late in the year, any time of year. But this year has been especially hard on folks in Ruidoso and surrounding communities, so we just want them to know this is a full suppression effort. We are putting everything we’ve got at it and we’re bringing in more resources, and [we’re] going to get this taken care of as quickly as possible."

Updates and information on the blaze can be found at NMFireInfo.com or on the Lincoln National Forest’s official Facebook page.

The U.S. Forest Service's map of the Blue Front Fire as of the morning of October, 30.
U.S. Forest Service
The U.S. Forest Service's map of the Blue Front Fire as of the morning of October, 30.

Jonny Coker is a Multimedia Journalist for KRWG Public Media. He has lived in Southern New Mexico for most of his life, growing up in the small Village of Cloudcroft, and earning a degree in Journalism and Media Studies at New Mexico State University.