Flames rise from the Ute Park Fire, which caused evacuations in northern New Mexico on Friday. (SOURCE: KOAT)

Ute Park Fire: (New Mexico) Blaze Spreads Over 16000 Acres, Evacuations Ordered

There isn’t much you can do when the wildfire starts, this was proven once more in New Mexico when a bone-dry forest started to burn. Many people barely managed to outrun the wildfire and residents of a small town were ordered to evacuate as the fire approached.

Ute Park fire torched more than 16,000 acres since it began its devastation on Thursday. Among the witnesses were Rick Archuleta and his son that saw the disastrous power of a wildfire.

The situation in Cimarron Village was dangerous, and residents were ordered to evacuate. Fire came to only three miles from this town that is located about 150 miles east of Santa Fe.

“When you have to evacuate you have to figure out what is the most important,” one of the residents told reporters.

It was said by some of the people that they would wait until the last minute to evacuate.

Another resident stated that “As long as it is still smoke, I am not worried about it but when you start to see fire, it is time to do something.”

jt060118d/a sec/jim thompson/Smoke from the Ute Park Fire rises above the ridge as you look east across Eagle Nest Lake along Highway 64. Friday, June, 01, 2018. (Jim Thompson/Albuquerque Journal)

At the moment, helicopters, air tankers and ground crews are all trying to stop wildfire and prevent its further expansion. According to officials, 12 buildings were completely destroyed, and if they don’t manage to localize the fire, it could also destroy 150 homes. All crews are working around the clock.

Unfortunately, the weather is not on their side. Temperatures are high at 80 degrees, humidity is low and high winds are helping to spread flames all over the area.

Everything is under investigation as the fire is zero percent contained.

 

 

Emergency info
Road closures: NM 64 is closed between Eagle Nest and Cimarron, as is  NM 58 and NM 21 and State Route 204.
Evacuation centers: The Raton Convention Center at 901 S 3rd St, Raton, NM. Eagle Nest Senior Center at 74 N. Tomboy Dr., Eagle Nest, NM. The National Guard Armory in Springer at 23 Fairgrounds Rd, Springer NM.
Information: New Mexico Fire Information Cimarron, NM Info Board on Facebook
Other places to stay: Angel Fire Resort is offering free rooms at the Lodge at Angel Fire Resort. Private homes, condos and the RV Resort are being offered at heavily discounted rates. Call 575 377 4365.

Source : https://www.cbsnews.com

Image Source: www.abqjournal.com

More News: https://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/breaking-large-wildfire-in-new-mexico-prompts-park-closures-evacuations/70005103

http://www.newsweek.com/ute-park-fire-new-mexico-wildfire-grows-8000-acres-forcing-evacuations-954644

http://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/ute-park-fire-grows-to-over-acres/article_2e613161-af97-52ea-aae4-8445187a3123.html

http://www.krqe.com/news/wildfires/http-wwwkrqecomnewswildfiresute-park-fire-at-8-000-acres-cimaron-residents-asked-to-evacuate1211176656/1211176656

https://www.yahoo.com/news/breaking-large-wildfire-mexico-prompts-045226984.html

 

 

 

https://twitter.com/KRQEAllison/status/1002649527482966016

https://twitter.com/KRQEAllison/status/1002663797247492097

https://twitter.com/KOAA/status/1002671087283417088

 

 

 


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As one of the founders of foreignpolicyi.org Knjaz Milos tries to bring all the latest news regarding politics. He loves history and is passionate about writing.
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