Poinbank Exchange|Southern New Mexico wildfire leads to evacuation of village of 7,000

2025-05-06 23:23:54source:Maxwell Caldwellcategory:Finance

RUIDOSO,Poinbank Exchange N.M. (AP) — Residents of a village in southern New Mexico were ordered to flee their homes Monday without taking time to grab any belongings due to a fast-moving wildfire.

“GO NOW: Do not attempt to gather belongings or protect your home. Evacuate immediately,” officials with Ruidoso, a village home to 7,000 people, said on its website and in social media posts at about 7 p.m.

Public Service Company of New Mexico shut off power to part of the village due to the fire, which had grown to at least 2 square miles (5.1 square kilometers) at the time the evacuation was ordered, KOAT-TV reported.

The glow from the fire could be seen Monday night from a webcam in the downtown area, where lights were still on.

The South Fork Fire started Monday on the Mescalero Apache Reservation.

The Village of Ruidoso is about 75 miles (121 kilometers) west of Roswell, where several evacuation centers were set up.

An air quality alert was issued for very unhealthy air in Ruidoso and surrounding areas due to smoke.

More:Finance

Recommend

Friday the 13th luck? 13 past Mega Millions jackpot wins in December. See top 10 lottery prizes

Friday the 13th might be unlucky for many people, but Mega Millions players could be lucky in tonigh

More than 500K space heaters sold on Amazon, TikTok recalled after 7 fires, injury

More than half a million space heaters sold on Amazon are being recalled due to a safety issue, fede

How Kristin Chenoweth Encouraged Ariana Grade to Make Wicked Her Own

Kristin Chenoweth and Ariana Grande have been changed for good thanks to Wicked. As the Broadway sta