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McBride Fire 56% contained, Nogal Fire 42% contained, officials say

VILLAGE OF RUIDOSO, New Mexico -- Fire officials say they have made major progress on the McBride Fire, jumping from zero containment Friday evening to 56 percent containment Saturday evening.

Fire officials say the fire, which started on Tuesday, April 12, has burned 6,159 acres, 207 structures, and killed two people. Most of the containment is on the west side of the fire.

More evacuations have been lifted Saturday night. Residents living on Gavilan Canyon road between Warrior drive to Highway 48 are now allowed to go back home. Other evacuation areas that have been lifted include:

  • Fawn Ridge
  • Homestead Acres
  • Rancho Ruidoso Valley Estates
  • Deer Valley
  • Deer Park
  • Alto Mesa Estates
  • Deer Creek road, Cougar lane, Woodwind lane, Skyhawk lane
  • Area east of Flute Player way

There are still areas in the village where evacuations are still active. Officials say those include Gavilan Canyon road south of Warrior drive and north of Highway 70, as well as Lower Eagle Creek.

Map of McBride Fire containment. The black lines signify fire containment lines.

The mayor of the village, Lynn Crawford, addressed a question from the community during the briefing about the failure of the town's alert system. The village has 11 sirens spread out that are used to alert the community of an emergency. On the first day of the fire, a power outage prior to the fire had disabled the system, preventing the town from alerting the whole community.

"We obviously found some weaknesses with us losing all the power and not having our sirens being operable, and a little break in communication, so we are going to be obviously working to shore up those shortages," Crawford said.

Crawford also added he has been speaking with Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham about getting resources and money to fix that problem.

Nogal Fire Update

During the briefing, officials also gave an update on the Nogal Fire, which has burned 433 acres as of Saturday. Officials say it is now 42 percent contained and all evacuations have been lifted.

Map of Nogal Fire containment. Black lines signify fire containment lines.

Any residents are encouraged to call the public information line with any questions. That number is 505-356-2636.

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Dylan McKim

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