Head Start Enrollment Days July 9th & 10th at the Mescalero Library from 9AM to 3PM

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Daily Update, Tuesday, July 2, 2024 

Mescalero Apache Tribe Emergency Operations Center: 575-464-9214 (8am-6pm) 

Village of Ruidoso and Lincoln County Emergency Operations Center: 575-258-6900 (7am-10pm) 

Fire Information Phone:575-323-8378 or 575-323-8258 (8am-8pm) 

Media Information Phone: 575-323-8053 (8am-8pm) 

Email: 2024.southfork@firenet.gov 

Acres: South Fork – 17,569; Salt – 7,939

Start Date: June 17, 2024 

Location: South Fork – Ruidoso Area, Salt – 7 mile west of Mescalero, NM

Personnel: 608

Containment: South Fork – 85%; Salt – 84% 

Fuels: mixed conifer, grass, pine/juniper  

Resources: The South Fork and Salt fires are currently staffed with 13 crews, 1 helicopter, 21 engines,  
2 bulldozers, and 6 water tenders. 

Highlights: The fire area saw clearer skies on Monday, allowing firefighters to focus their efforts on supporting flood mitigation operations on the South Fork fire. In total, hotshots and support crews filled 18,000 sandbags in support of these efforts. Additionally, structure assessment crews have successfully triaged over 4,000 structures across the fire area. 

Fire Activity: The South Fork and Salt fires received consistent isolated and scattered precipitation for several days. Thanks to this moisture, hot spots on the South Fork remain suppressed and will remain quiet until a drying trend occurs. Remaining heat sources on the South Fork fire are located interior of control lines and do not post a threat to the perimeter. 

On the Salt Fire, firefighters have observed a few hot spots on the southeast corner. Fire within this area will continue to smolder and produce small amounts of localized smoke. Smoke with not impact nearby roadways and heat sources are unlikely to grow, nor do they pose a threat to containment lines.  

Weather: After a calmer weather day on Monday, Tuesday will bring an increase in scattered storm activity. Maintain awareness of changing weather conditions and flash flood warnings.  

Closures: A South Fork Fire Emergency Closure Order was issued on June 20, 2024, for national forest lands within the Smokey Bear Ranger District. The identified areas, and roads and trails therein, are closed to public access to allow firefighting personnel to work and through the fire area safely. More information is available at www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/lincoln/alerts-notices/?aid=88199.  

The Mescalero Apache Tribe issued a Class V/Stage II – Extreme Fire Restriction Notice on June 28, 2024. More information is available at https://mescaleroapachetribe.com.  

A Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) is in place over the fire area. Public/commercial drone flights are also prohibited within this area. If you fly, we may have to ground our air resources. Visit https://tfr.faa.gov/tfr2/list.html for more information. 

More information:  

Inciweb: https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-information/nmmea-south-fork-and-salt  

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SWIMT5  

Smoke Outlook: https://outlooks.wildlandfiresmoke.net/outlook/430b2c05 

Lincoln County Government: www.lincolncountynm.gov 

Mescalero Apache Tribe: https://mescaleroapachetribe.com   

Village of Ruidoso: www.ruidoso-nm.gov/south-fork-fire 

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The FEMA Disaster Recovery Center (DRC) will be set-up at the Mescalero Apache Schools from 8AM-6PM starting July 3rd.

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Sandbags are available to homeowners due to flooding. Call the Tribe’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC) for more information 575-464-9214.

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For informational purposes only.

Here’s a DIY video of flood barriers provided by Flood Defense Group YouTube channel. The Mescalero Apache Tribe is not held liable for the success or failure in the demonstrations homeowners choose to follow within this video.

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For informational purposes only.

Here’s a DIY video of flood barriers provided by Flood Defense Group YouTube channel. The Mescalero Apache Tribe is not held liable for the success or failure in the demonstrations homeowners choose to follow within this video.

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Evacuation site at the IMG Convention Center will remain OPEN due to flooding.

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Daily Update, Monday, July 1, 2024

Mescalero Apache Tribe Emergency Operations Center: 575-464-9214 (8am-6pm) 

Village of Ruidoso and Lincoln County Emergency Operations Center: 575-258-6900 (7am-10pm) 

Fire Information Phone:575-323-8378 or 575-323-8258 (8am-8pm) 

Media Information Phone: 575-323-8053 (8am-8pm) 

Email: 2024.southfork@firenet.gov 

Acres: South Fork – 17,569; Salt – 7,939

Start Date: June 17, 2024 

Location: South Fork – Ruidoso Area, Salt – 7 mile west of Mescalero, NM

Personnel: 690

Containment: South Fork – 84%; Salt – 84% 

Fuels: mixed conifer, grass, pine/juniper  

Resources: The South Fork and Salt fires are currently staffed with 16 crews, 3 helicopters, 24 engines,  
2 bulldozers, and 7 water tenders. 

Highlights: Longer-duration rains fell across the fire area on Sunday with totals ranging from 2-5″, causing severe flash flooding. Flooding will continue to pose a threat as afternoon storms pass across the South Fork and Salt fires on Monday.  

Fire Activity: The South Fork and Salt fires received significant rain late in the day on Saturday, further suppressing the remaining heat sources. The majority of remaining heat sources on the South Fork Fire are actively charring downed logs, located interior of control lines. 

Structure assessments are nearing completion. Additionally, crews on the South Fork and Salt Fires will focus on flood mitigation today. Suppression repair work on constructed containment lines will continue when safe to do so.  

Weather: The South Fork and Salt fires experienced intense scattered thunderstorms on Sunday, resulting in flooding and debris flows. Residents and visitors are advised to stay apprised of changing weather conditions and heed flood watches and warnings. Seeker higher ground during afternoon storms, if possible. 

Closures: A South Fork Fire Emergency Closure Order was issued on June 20, 2024, for national forest lands within the Smokey Bear Ranger District. The identified areas, and roads and trails therein, are closed to public access to allow firefighting personnel to work and through the fire area safely. More information is available at www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/lincoln/alerts-notices/?aid=88199.  

The Mescalero Apache Tribe issued a Class V/Stage II – Extreme Fire Restriction Notice on June 28, 2024. More information is available at https://mescaleroapachetribe.com.  

A Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) is in place over the fire area. Public/commercial drone flights are also prohibited within this area. If you fly, we may have to ground our air resources. Visit https://tfr.faa.gov/tfr2/list.html for more information.

More information:  

Inciweb: https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-information/nmmea-south-fork-and-salt

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SWIMT5

Smoke Outlook: https://outlooks.wildlandfiresmoke.net/outlook/430b2c05

Lincoln County Government: www.lincolncountynm.gov

Mescalero Apache Tribe: https://mescaleroapachetribe.com

Village of Ruidoso: www.ruidoso-nm.gov/south-fork-fire

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