Fire officials fill 18K sandbags to support Ruidoso communities

EL PASO, Texas ( KTSM ) — Fire officials with the Southwest Area Incident Management Team filled 18,000 sandbags to help support flood mitigation on Monday, July 1, in the Ruidoso area, according to the New Mexico Forestry Division.

The South Fork Fire and the Salt Fire have reached over 25,000 acres. The South Fork Fire is 85 percent contained and the Salt Fire is 84 percent contained as of Tuesday morning, July 2, the Forestry Division said.

“The fire area saw clearer skies on Monday, allowing firefighters to focus their efforts on supporting flood mitigation operations on the South Fork fire. In total, hotshots and support crews filled 18,000 sandbags in support of these efforts. Additionally, structure assessment crews have successfully triaged over 4,000 structures across the fire area,” the Forestry Division said.

The Forestry Division says both fires have received consistent isolated and scattered showers for several days.

“Thanks to this moisture, hot spots on the South Fork remain suppressed and will remain quiet until a drying trend occurs. Remaining heat sources on the South Fork fire are located interior of control lines and do not post a threat to the perimeter,” the Forestry Division said.

The Forestry Division says Tuesday will also experience scattered storm activity and advises residents of changing weather conditions and flash flood warnings.

Residents in the Upper Canyon area and near the Rio Ruidoso were forced to evacuate this past weekend, according to the Village of Ruidoso’s Facebook page.

A village spokesperson said 26 swift water rescues were conducted on Saturday, June 29, and 51 water rescues were conducted on Sunday, June 30. However, there were no fatalities.

The El Paso Fire Water Rescue Team was deployed to Ruidoso on Sunday to assist with the flooding.

A shelter is available at White Mountain Relief Center located at 687 Hull Road. The American Red Cross is at the shelter and will provide food service, the Village said.

The American Red Cross says 66 residents were at the shelter Sunday night, along with 18 pets.

The American Red Cross also says 1,957 overnight residents stayed at Red Cross and independent shelters since June 17 and they have served over 10,000 meals.

As of Tuesday morning, the Village of Ruidoso says the following roads are closed:

• Cree Meadows at Wiley Road
• Cree Meadows at Hull Road
• Gavilan Canyon between Meander and Sutton
• Main road into the Upper Canyon

The village also says sandbags are available at the following locations:

• Wingfield Park located at 300 Center Street
• Ruidoso Fire Department Station 2 located at 606 White Mountain Drive
• Ruidoso Downs Senior Center located at 393 US HWY 70
• Copper Ridge located at 111 Copper Ridge Road

For more information on the flooding, click here: Severe flooding prompts evacuations | Village of Ruidoso .

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