New Mexico fires force evacuations

ALTO, N.M. -- Wind-whipped grass fires pushed into affluent residential areas in the pine-studded southern New Mexico mountains Saturday, burning at least 32 homes and forcing more than 1,300 residents to evacuate.

Two fires consumed at least 3,400 acres, including 1,000 acres in the Kokopelli fire, named after a subdivision where the homes burned, firefighters said.

A blaze called the 5-2 Fire, which started on the Mescalero Apache reservation, burned about 2,400 acres, according to the state Public Safety Department.

No injuries have been reported, officials said.

The Kokopelli fire started around noon in a residential driveway, said Lincoln County sheriff Tom Sullivan. He said the possibility of arson was under investigation.

"It's very suspicious the way it started," Sullivan said. "It's just in an area where there wasn't anybody around. We're just not sure why it got started there."

Terri Wildermuth, spokeswoman for the state Forestry Division, said the Kokopelli fire was "human caused" but declined to elaborate. She said the cause of the other fire had not been determined.

Three air tankers dropped retardant on the fires, but the winds were so intense that planes and helicopters were grounded in the evening, said Gwen Shaffer, Forest Service spokeswoman. Gusts up to 60 mph were reported.

Winds died back by nearly 50 percent after sundown and firefighters said mostly unpopulated, open country remained in the path of the blaze.

"We've lost a lot of very expensive homes. It's just a devastating fire," Sullivan said.

Police Lt. Wolf Born said the 32 homes were burned north and northeast of Ruidoso, a mountain resort known for skiing in the winter and horse racing in the summer.

Gov. Gary Johnson said more than 1,300 people had been evacuated. His plane was grounded because of high winds, delaying a planned visit to the fire zone until Sunday, he said.

"Bad news -- it's really bad news," Johnson said.

Watching for news

About 200 to 250 evacuees gathered at the Alto Lakes Country Club, huddling around television sets to watch fire news and eat dinner, a Red Cross official said. Several people later checked into Ruidoso hotels and motels.

"You got your people who lost houses, people who don't know they've lost their house and are kind of frantic," said John Conrad, who works at the club. Another temporary shelter was set up at Ruidoso High School.

It was the third straight year that fires have devastated the Ruidoso area.

"We've declared a state of emergency, and we're asking President Bush to declare Ruidoso a disaster area," said Ruidoso emergency manager Tomas Chavez.

Fire season in New Mexico is about two to four weeks ahead of where it should be, and firefighting resources are being brought into the state earlier than normal, officials said.

Winter snowpack is sparse in New Mexico's high country. It's only 20 percent of normal in the Lincoln National Forest, which is near Ruidoso.

"Unless we really get dumped on in the next month -- 3 feet after 3 feet after 3 feet of snow -- our fire danger will be high," said Richard Woolley, fire meteorologist with the interagency Southwest Coordination Center in Albuquerque.

During 2000, 2,466 fires scorched 519,177 acres -- including four mammoth fires highlighted by the Cerro Grande Fire in Los Alamos that blackened 42,878 acres and burned more than 200 structures.

Last year, 1,649 fires burned 38,890 acres.