RUIDOSO, N.M. (AP) — Firefighters say they are continuing to take advantage of favorable weather conditions to battle a wildfire in southern New Mexico that has destroyed 242 homes and businesses.
More than 1,100 firefighters remained Monday in Ruidoso as they fight to hold the Little Bear Fire that is now 60 percent contained.
Crews continued to improve containment line on the west side in preparation for the planned burnout. That operation will be a low intensity fire intended to consume understory vegetation, robbing the fire of fuel.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.
Little Bear Fire June 19, 2012 – 9 a.m.
Firefighters Continue Burnout Operation Today
Start Time/Date: Monday, June 4, 2012
Location: Smokey Bear Ranger District, Lincoln NF, including White
Mountain Wilderness
Cause: Lightning
Fuels: Mixed conifer, ponderosa pine
Size: approx. 39,458 acres
Containment: 60 %
Resources Committed: Personnel: 981; crews: 9 Type 1, 11 Type 2; engines:
60; helicopters: 4 Type 1; 2 Type 2; 2 Type 3; dozers: 2; water tenders: 15
Today’s weather: 76-90 degrees, relative humidity 7-13%, wind WSW 17-23 mph
gusting to 30 mph
Injuries: 5
Structures destroyed: 254 (242 residential & commercial structures and 12
outbuildings)
Road Closures: NM 532 (Ski Run Road) at the softball complex near NM 48
junction is open to residents only
Area Closures: The entire White Mountain Wilderness, and that portion of
the Smokey Bear District south of US 380 to the Mescalero Apache
Reservation boundary including a large area east and north of Ruidoso to
the south boundary of the Fort Stanton Recreation Area
Summary: Crews began burning out fuel inside the containment line north
and west of Rio Bonito subdivision yesterday. Black line is now in place as
far south as Argentina Spring. Crews plan to finish black lining today,
tying in with containment line near White Horse Hill. Fuels will be
ignited by both ground and aerial ignition. The burnout is low intensity
fire intended to consume understory vegetation, robbing the fire of fuel.
Fire is expected to be more active, with more visible smoke this afternoon,
as a drying trend continues. Burnout will continue for a few more days
within the White Mountain Wilderness, depending on weather. Activity on the
remainder of the fire will consist of patrol and mop up, and rehabilitation
in all divisions. Release of excess resources continues, making these
resources available for other assignments.
All subdivisions except Angus and Bonita Park are now open. Ski Run Road
and Bonita Lake are open to residents only. Residents returning to their
homes should be alert for fire vehicle traffic and damaged roads.
The Village of Ruidoso wants everyone to know that, despite the fire
activity, it is open for business. See the following websites:
http://www.discoverruidoso.
http://www.ruidosonow.com/
Evacuations: All campgrounds west of Bonito Lake; Angus and Bonita Park
Shelters: Pets and livestock may be taken to Pet Paradise in La Luz
(575-434-1784), Otero County fairgrounds in Alamogordo (575-434-0788,
575-491-7553, or 575-491-4643), Lincoln County fairgrounds in Capitan
(575-808-2814), Humane Society of Lincoln County in Ruidoso (575-257-9841
or 575-378-1039), Ruidoso Animal Clinic (575-257-4027), Dunagan Farms in
Ruidoso (575-257-9549 or 575-621-4056), New Mexico Livestock Board
(575-649-2758), Carrizozo Animal Shelter (575-648-2351), Thundering Paws in
Alto (575-336-7297), and Yolanda and Robert Espinoza (575-354-9019).
Many residents of the community have expressed interest in making monetary
donations to the firefighting organizations. Local fire departments should
be considered first. Additionally, the following websites provide avenues
for making donations: www.wffoundation.org, and www.redcrossnewmexico.org.
Information on wildland fire smoke and your health can be found on the New
Mexico Department of Health's website at:
https://nmtracking.unm.edu/eh_
health line at (877)304-4161. Additional websites for accurate fire
information are Facebook.com/LittleBearFireNM, Twitter.com/T1SWIMT,
Flickr.com.photos.
Flickr.com/photos/wildland-
As the monsoons approach, heavy rainfall may produce flash floods. The
National Weather Service Advisories are available at:
http://www.weather.gov/abq.
A predictive model for probability of thunderstorms over burned areas,
known as Burn Scar Thunderstorm Threat Matrix, is available at:
http://www.srh.noaa.gov/
for Lincoln County CodeRED Emergency Alerts at
http://www.lincolncountynm.
(See attached file: Little Bear Fire news release 6_19 am.pdf)
------------------------------
Little Bear Fire Information
Inciweb.org/incident/2903/
NMFireInfo.com
Facebook.com/LittleBearFireNM
Twitter.com/T1SWIMT
Flickr.com.photos.
Flickr.com/photos/wildland-
Little Bear Fire Info Call Center – 575-258-6900 (7am - 10pm)
Media Duty Officer - 505-235-4213 (7am - 10pm)
Health Related Questions About Smoke – 1-877-304-4161 (24 hr / 7 days a
week)
Mental Health Support for Wildfire Victims – 866-342-6892 (24 hr / 7 days a
week)