Residents flee New Mexican village as wildfires bear down on homes

By MORGAN LEE
Associated Press

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Residents of a southern New Mexican mountain village have fled their homes under evacuation orders with little time to rescue belongings as fast-moving wildfires bore down on the village of 7,000 residents. Traffic clogged Ruidoso’s downtown streets for hours Monday as smoke darkened the evening sky and 100-foot flames climbed a ridgeline. By Tuesday morning, city webcams showed a deserted main street with smoke still wafting in the sky. Officials said Tuesday that the fire is estimated at about 22 square miles with 0% containment. The village is about 75 miles west of Roswell, where several evacuation centers were set up.