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5,000 under evacuation orders as New Mexico wildfire rages

KANW New Mexico Public Radio
Published April 16, 2022 at 10:27 AM MDT

By SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN Associated Press

This photo provided by the Village of Ruidoso shows a fire fighting air tanker dropping fire retardant across the mountains near the Village of Ruidoso, N.M., on Wednesday, April 13, 2022. Officials say a wildfire has burned about 150 structures, including homes, in the New Mexico town of Ruidoso. (Kerry Gladden/Village of Ruidoso via AP)
Kerry Gladden/AP
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Village of Ruidoso
This photo provided by the Village of Ruidoso shows a fire fighting air tanker dropping fire retardant across the mountains near the Village of Ruidoso, N.M., on Wednesday, April 13, 2022. Officials say a wildfire has burned about 150 structures, including homes, in the New Mexico town of Ruidoso. (Kerry Gladden/Village of Ruidoso via AP)

Evacuation orders for close to 5,000 people are still in place as firefighters battle a deadly blaze in New Mexico. The wind-fueled wildfire has ripped through the mountain community of Ruidoso. The flames have destroyed more than 200 homes and killed two people since the wildfire broke out Tuesday. Authorities said they suspect the fire was sparked by a downed power line. Elsewhere in the U.S., crews have been battling large fires this week in Texas, Oklahoma and Colorado, where a new blaze forced evacuations Friday along the Rocky Mountain's eastern front near Lyons about 18 miles north of Boulder.
New Mexico News