Evacuation order lifted in Mescalero fire, families return home

Mescalero residents are allowed to go back homes after being evacuated for a forest fire that started Thursday. Residents gathered with Governor Susana Martinez Sunday for a community meeting where they were updated.

“We have 1300 acres that have been burned, which is a lot of acreage, but as all the fires that I have seen it can go into the tens of thousands of acres, and that is something we’re blessed that it didn’t go into that. No life has been lost, and no one has been injured,” Martinez told ABC-7.

The fire is only 15 percent contained but it’s that 15 percent that is allowing people to go safely back to their homes.

The blaze started Thursday afternoon. Since then the burned area estimates have been brought down from the original 2500 acres, cut nearly in half.

There’s still work that needs to be done before the fire is completely extinguished.

“There’s unburned material in there, and it can start to catch fire and spread some more. They’re gonna clean all that up,” Martinez said.

To prevent future fires during this extraordinarily dry season, Governor Martinez said she ‘s banning fires on state land and hopes fireworks are controlled at the local level in time for the Fourth of July.

“There will be no open fires permitted in New Mexico on state land…that there be no fireworks allied to be used personally,” she explained.

Governor Martinez asked city and county governments ban fireworks to prevent forest fires and invited New Mexicans to enjoy public displays on Independence Day.