Two people have died and an estimated 500 homes have been destroyed in wildfires burning across southern New Mexico.
The fires, dubbed the “South Fork Fire” and “Salt Fire,” have forced the evacuation of roughly 8,000 residents from the Ruidoso mountain resort area.
New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham has requested a major disaster declaration from President Biden due to the fires’ severity.
This latest disaster adds to New Mexico’s woes, following a string of wildfires including a record-breaking blaze in 2* (corrected to 2022) that scorched over 341,000 acres.
The state’s prolonged drought conditions are contributing to the wildfires’ ferocity and rapid spread.
