New Mexico fires

Thousands evacuate as New Mexico fires are visible from space

From CNN’s Melissa Alonso and Dave Alsup

The South Fork Fire — burning on Mescalero Tribal land and the areas surrounding Ruidoso, New Mexico — is currently estimated at over 5,000 acres and 0% containment, according to an update from the New Mexico Forestry Division.

The second active fire, the Salt Fire, has now burned at least 2,000 acres, according to the division’s spokesperson George Ducker.

With the fires burning in close proximity to each other, officials have ordered a Critical Incident Management Team that will arrive Tuesday afternoon, Duffy said.

Duffy said Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham is also sending in the National Guard. CNN has reached out to the governor’s office for comment. 

The Bureau of Indian Affairs is acting as the lead agency and will be contacting FEMA and other agencies to combat the fire and “ensure we’re not losing any more homes” and that there’s no loss of life, Duffy said.

An estimated 5,000 residents were ordered to evacuate the area of Ruidoso due to the fire.

Both fires are acting like “a pair of tongs, and Ruidoso is in the middle of that pair of tongs.”

The National Weather Service Albuquerque released satellite imagery Monday of the fires.