Serving the High Plains
Serving the High Plains
The City of Tucumcari last Tuesday sent a trailer containing 200 cots and blankets to Roswell to help Ruidoso-area residents displaced by wildfires.
City manager Paula Chacon said the cots and blankets will stay in Roswell until they’re no longer needed.
The cots and blankets typically are kept in storage by the Tucumcari Fire & Rescue Department. They typically are deployed for motorists stranded in Tucumcari during blizzards that close Interstate 40.
Chacon said dispatching the aid trailer to evacuation stations in Roswell was a joint effort of the city and county.
Lucas Bugg, Quay County’s fire marshal, said they hadn’t sent any area firefighters to Ruidoso because it wanted only personnel who were certified in wildlands firefighting. More than 1,000 firefighters were battling the blazes.
The South Fork and Salt fires, which began June 17, have burned more than 25,000 acres and destroyed more than 1,400 buildings in the Ruidoso area. Two people are known to have died in the fires.
The blazes prompted the mandatory evacuation of Ruidoso and Ruidoso Downs, though some Ruidoso residents were permitted to return to their homes on Monday.
President Joe Biden on Thursday granted Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s request for a major disaster declaration for New Mexico, which will release federal funds to support fire recovery efforts.
Lujan Grisham also authorized $5.25 million in emergency funds for relief efforts.
The FBI announced Saturday it was offering a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the people responsible for starting the fires. The FBI provided no other information.
The New Mexico 4-H Office also provided some information on how to help.
Those who have gathered hay to help livestock affected by the fires should send their contact information and data on available supplies to the New Mexico Department of Agriculture’s Hay Hotline at [email protected] or calling the Agro Guard hotline at (575) 646-9191.
To help dogs and cats affected by the fires, pet food can be sent to the Salvation Army Roswell Armory at 612 W. College Blvd. Large donations of pet food should be sent to a food bank or pet rescue organization.
Fairgrounds in Curry, Chaves, Eddy, Lea, Lincoln, Otero and Socorro counties, along with the New Mexico State Fairgrounds, have been set up as livestock evacuation sites.