Fire Crews Continue To Battle Brush

NEAR RADIUM SPRINGS, NM– A fire that broke out Tuesday near Radium Springs flared up briefly a day laterafter crews worked to containmost of the blaze.

So far, the blaze burned around 900 acres, but according to Bureau of Land Management, the fire is growing. Crews said high winds in the area were a concern.

Dozens of firefighters and assorted equipment are on scene, including three Forest Service brush trucks, two BLM fire engines and a water tanker from the Doa Ana Volunteer Fire Department. Bulldozers have been pulled from the area.

One home has been destroyed. That home belonged to Charles and Karma Brewster. They’ve lived there for over 50 years.

“The house you can replace, but not the contents that was in there,” Charles Brewster said. Brewster said no one was hurt, but damages are estimated in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Approximately 100 people sought temporary shelter and meals at a makeshift Red Cross shelter opened late in the afternoon at the Radium Springs Community Center. Approximately 300 meals were served to evacuees and emergency responders before the shelter was shut down around 9 p.m.

There were no livestock losses reported, although several horses were released from a stall by Doa Ana County fire crews, because the horses were in the path of the fire. Some power lines from El Paso Electric were damaged during the fire. Crews repaired much of the damage Wednesday.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.