The two wildfires near Ruidoso, New Mexico, continue to wreak havoc, burning thousands of acres and displacing thousands of residents. The fires, which ignited on June 17, have forced about 8,000 people to evacuate and have led to road closures in the Village of Ruidoso and Ruidoso Downs. According to the Village of Ruidoso, approximately 1,400 structures have been lost to the flames.
The South Fork Fire is currently burning on Mescalero Tribal land, U.S. Forest Service land, and areas surrounding Ruidoso, while the Salt Fire is active on the Mescalero Reservation. The fires have caused significant damage, prompting the FBI to offer a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for starting the fires.
“The FBI is offering a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for starting the fires,” officials from the FBI Albuquerque Division stated in a news release on June 22. This marks the first time law enforcement has suggested that arson could be the cause of the devastating fires.
Residents of Ruidoso are set to return to their homes on Monday, June 24, as containment numbers for both fires increase. However, only local, full-time residents will be permitted to return at this time, and they are advised to bring at least a week’s worth of food and drinking water since grocery stores are not fully operational. Many returning residents will find their homes without electricity, gas, or water.
The containment efforts show varying degrees of success. The South Fork Fire has burned 16,614 acres with 26% containment, while the Salt Fire has scorched 7,652 acres and is only 7% contained. These numbers, provided by the Village of Ruidoso, indicate ongoing challenges for firefighting crews. Over 1,000 personnel are engaged in combating the fires, using hand tools, hoses, and machinery to build firelines and prevent further spread.
Utility outages persist in the affected areas, impacting communication and complicating efforts to reach residents and visitors. Despite rumors, an official update confirmed that the Albertsons Market in Ruidoso has not burned down but remains closed due to evacuation guidelines.
The fires have claimed at least two lives. Authorities found the skeletal remains of one individual in the driver’s seat of a burned vehicle, and another victim was found near the Swiss Chalet Inn, which was destroyed by the fire.
The FBI’s involvement underscores the severity and suspected criminal nature of the situation. “The FBI is assisting our local, state, federal, and tribal partners in the ongoing investigation of the fires near Ruidoso, NM,” officials said. “We are asking for the public’s assistance in identifying the cause of these fires.”
Anyone with information about the fires is urged to contact the FBI at 1-800-225-5324 or submit tips online at tips.fbi.gov. Additionally, people can text “BIAMMU” to 847411, followed by “MESCALERO FIRE + the tip,” or simply text “BIAMMU” with the tip information.
While natural causes like lightning and downed power lines are common sources of wildfires, human activities such as unattended campfires can also spark fires. The FBI’s reward aims to uncover whether human negligence or intentional actions are behind the Ruidoso fires, bringing justice and preventing future tragedies.
The fight against these wildfires continues as firefighters work tirelessly to protect homes, lives, and the environment from further destruction.
The DOJ/FBI are probably trying to find a way to pin it on Trump
Try harder John Wayne. This tragic fire, regardless of cause, should inspire citizens to pitch in, to help. Indeed, the nation needs all hands, as well.
Excellent observation, John Wayne. Some people suffer from acute deficiency of sense-of-humor.
Yeah probably, John wayne. The FBI/DOJ very likely will find a way to pin the wildfires near Ruidoso on Trump. I mean, the Left and today’s Democratic Party as a whole have pretty much pinned and blamed him for just about everything in the last few years, including since he left office, or should I say “left office” as he didn’t actually lose the 2020 election as they like to claim time and time again. And they claim that Trump will lose the election in November. However, when you consider that the overwhelming vast majority of Americans hate Biden and his policies that are destroying this country, and the planet as we speak, including a growing number of Democrats, including the fact that over 80% of Americans are concerned about the border crisis under Biden, including, members of Biden’s own party, 86% of American businesses are being hurt by Bidenflation, another 79% being hurt by higher taxes due to Bidenflation, etc, you can understand that Trump pretty much has already won this election by default, even though the actual election isn’t scheduled until November. It doesn’t matter at this point. You have the right to vote in November. But at this point, there is already a winner of this election, and that’s Trump. Why? Simple. Because he actually represents the true American values of this country like freedom of speech and parental rights and supporting Israel and the Pledge of Allegiance and standing up for the Pledge of Allegiance and the Second Amendment and First Amendment, etc. What do the Left and today’s Democratic Party represent? Hmmm? What values do the Left and today’s Democratic Party in the United States and globally represent? Certainly not the true values of this country or the globe like normal people do. People are leaving the Democratic Party and the Left all over the globe in droves now. People are waking up. Why? Because the policies of the Left and today’s Democratic Party are destroying this country as well as other countries that were once prosperous, like Venezuela. These radical leftist and socialist policies have been destroying a number of these other countries like Venezuela for years. People have had enough of this and they are slowly, but surely, waking up. Including across this continent, North America as a whole. The policies of certain leftist figures across our continent, in particular Biden, Lujan Grisham, Gavin Newsom, Tim Waltz, Roy Cooper, Kathy Hogul, that Pritzker guy in Illinois, Eric Adams, and others, are destroying our continent. Like with Trudeau, he did something similar to what Adolf Hitler and the Nazis did back in World War II and the Holocaust. He, Justin Trudeau, ordered, not requested, not suggested. He ordered the Canadian military to put people who are against his radical leftist WEF(World Economic Forum) agenda, into what are called “reeducation camps”. In other words, concentration camps. That’s right. You heard me right. Trudeau is doing what Hitler did during World War II and the Holocaust! Do you realize how terrifying that is?! And the worst part of it, that is happening on this continent! North America! Not Europe. North America. In the country directly north of us, literally. People have had enough. They’ve certainly have had enough of the policies of leftist figures in this country the United States too. That’s one of the reasons why Trump has already won this election just by default. People in this country are waking up and are sick and tired of the radical leftist policies including abortion up to and including birth and the radical leftist transgender agenda, that is destroying our country, our continent, and our planet as we speak. Leftists say that Trump’s a loser and that he will lose in November. No, he’s already won. He’s already won! And let’s say that Trump does actually win the actual election in November and then the Left and today’s Democratic Party try or worst case scenario, actually succeed in assassinating him, because you damn well that if Trump does actually win in November, that their going to try and assassinate him. I’m being serious here. It won’t matter though because he will still win in the long run because the Left and today’s Democratic Party will prove to him more and more that they don’t care about the United States of America and it’s true values like parental rights and supporting Israel and the Pledge of Allegiance and standing up for the Pledge of Allegiance and freedom of speech, etc like normal and common sense minded Americans and the values that have made this country so great and the values that were founded by our founding fathers to make this country great. The Left and today’s Democratic do not represent those values in the United States at all. They do not. They might try and say that they do. And they have. But, that is a lie. They do not represent the true values of this country that have made this country so great and should continue making this country so great. And if they decide to assassinate Trump or try to do it, then they will prove him right more and more. Yes, if that happens, if the Left and today’s Democratic Party unfortunately decide to kill him, it will be very heartbreaking. But, it will make him a martyr. He will still win in the long run. I mean, Trump has already won against the Left and today’s Democratic Party because people are leaving the Democratic Party and the Left in masses now in this country and across the globe now and polls and studies and actual data are showing and proving it. People have had enough of the radical leftist policies including the radical leftist gender agenda, telling little kids that they can just change genders to supposedly make their lives better because their supposedly in the wrong body or are the wrong gender. That’s not how biology works. And people are waking up and are realizing that forcing little kids to change genders to supposedly make their lives better is not moral and it’s not right, as well as hiding information about it from parents. People are waking up folks. And it’s happening in certain cases here in New Mexico too. New Mexicans, including a growing number of Democrats in the state, have had enough of the crime and the homelessness in New Mexico. When you hear that even a number of Democrats have had enough of the crime rate in NM, that’s when you know it’s bad. People have had enough overall with the policies of the Left including the policies of Lujan Grisham regarding education, including that five-day, 180-day school year thing. Understand this, kids have been going to school across the United States and globally five days a week or four days a week for years and decades, even longer. That’s nothing new. That’s not the problem though with this case. The way Lujan Grisham did it is what is ridiculous. The majority of New Mexicans were against it, including even the teacher’s union. The teacher’s union in New Mexico was even against it! And they are historically known to have supported people like Lujan Grisham. But even they were against it. Lujan Grisham decided to implement it anyway, even despite the fact that the majority of the state’s population were against it including the state’s teacher’s union. People are waking up. Slowly, but surely, in some cases. But their definitely waking up.
And, I said that, now back to the topic of the wildfires near Ruidoso, the FBI/DOJ very likely were going to blame the fires on Trump. But what will the radical leftist environmentalists blame the wildfires on? That’s right! They will blame them on………… climate change! Human-induced climate change or animal/fauna-induced climate change to be exact. Let’s be clear. Wildfires globally have been occuring since at least the Silurian geological period. That was some 445 million years ago. Way before us humans, who are animals too, were mammals, arrived. Animals did exist at the time, but they weren’t the cause of the first wildfires either. And I am sure that there are wildfires that occur on other planets throughout the observable universe too, even though they would be different from our planet’s wildfires and I am sure that they have been occuring on other planets for eons and eons too. Wildfires are nothing new to our planet and most likely other planets too. Wildfires, like every other form of weather or event associated with weather and climate, go through periods of increased activity and decreased activity. Right now across the globe, wildfires just happened to be declining in frequently and intensity overall. Doesn’t mean that they will go away, unfortunately. But, that’s what is happening. But, we all know that the radical environmentalists including the ones in New Mexico, are going to try and blame the wildfires near Ruidoso on climate change. Trust me, they will do it, if not, their already doing it as we speak. Like that’s not horrible enough, then we have a forest fire management organization thingy that is lazy and who says “Oh let’s just let the wildfire burn itself out. It will burn itself out”. No, it doesn’t always work. Actually I don’t think it works at all. You can’t just sit there and let the wildfire “burn itself out”. That’s because it won’t. It would grow bigger and burn more acreage and the whole nine yards. My advice to those forest fire management people: Don’t try and “let the wildfire burn itself out”. It will not work. Don’t be lazy, in other words.
I mean I swear, New Mexico has so many issues now, it’s not even funny. I mean, we’ve got a forest fire management organization thingy in the state who are lazy at times. We are ranked dead last in education, for various reasons including the fact that the radical leftist transgender policies are being forced upon our children and parents in the state. We’re losing population, especially among the young and wealthy. Our state’s population is aging. We now have one of the highest inflation rate in the United States and globally. We have one of highest crime rate in the United States and globally, mainly because of the leftists in the state. We have a congressional delegation in the United States Congress who don’t give two cents about us or certain issues that are destroying our state including the border crisis and the rising crime rate in the state. Jewish people in the state are being targeted by pro-Palestinian radical leftist protesters. Not to mention that Lujan Grisham leaves the state every five seconds seems like. Not to mention that New Mexico is literally now the most dangerous state in the United States out of all fifty states and territories in the United States, mainly because of the rising crime rate but also the soft-on-crime policies of the Left in the state that are fueling the rising crime rate in NM. I mean, I have been hearing that even places like La Luz, here in Otero County, is getting bad and I have also heard rumors that there is a gang running around in like Tularosa now. And I have heard that there are now drug cartels who are beginning to operate in like Alamogordo of all places too! I mean, it’s getting bad and dangerous out there folks. We, New Mexico, not California. Not even New York. Heck, not even Illinois either especially Chicago. Us, New Mexico, the Land of Enchantment, is now the most dangerous U.S state in the entire country out of all 50 states and territories in the freaking country! Do you know how terrifying that is? This state sucks! I mean, it’s beautiful here in terms of geography and there are good people in the state like Jim Townsend and John Block and Steven McCutcheon and Yvette Herrell, to name a few. But, with all the issues going on in the state, this state absolutely sucks! And now we’re the most dangerous state in the entire country. And that’s not a exaggeration. It’s true. New Mexico is the most dangerous state in the United States out of all fifty states and territories. You know who’s the second most dangerous state in the United States now? Louisiana. And no, not because of the conservatives there and certainly not because of the new Governor they have in Louisiana, Jeff Landry. No, it’s leftists there too, including in like New Orleans. It’s just getting dangerous out there folks, especially in like this state, New Mexico.
Glad the FBI is on it………it was intentionally set.
Ann, like you, I am convinced these fires were intentionally set. Not only are these people arsonists, they are also murderers.
FBI must have some info indicating arson, rather than lightning or other accidental cause. I see homeless people burning on sidewalks and road shoulder throughout Albuquerque during cold weather, and Ruidoso at 7500 ft is cooler than Albuquerque. I am at 7500 ft and it is always 10 deg cooler, Summer and Winter.