Deadly wildfires in Ruidoso under investigation

Gabrielle Burkhart and Chris McKee

1 hour ago

RUIDOSO, NM (KRQE) – The community of Ruidoso has been experiencing one crisis after another lately. Within hours of the South Fork and Salt fires breaking out, the entire community was evacuated as the fire quickly spread to homes and businesses. At least two people died in the wildfires, around 1,400 structures burned, and the government is now offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of those responsible for the fires.

This week on the New Mexico News Podcast, Chris and Gabby talk to a 74-year-old veteran who lost his home in the wildfire and stayed behind to help his family and neighbors save their home. Don Spencer explains how he and three city workers put out embers and flames on his sister’s back fence to save her home.

Spencer said he would like to find out who these three people are and thank them personally. “They are not firefighters,” he explained. “They are city employees. They took the initiative to save these three homes here.”

As mentioned in the full discussion above, Spencer’s daughter has set up a GoFundMe page for her father. Click here to visit that page.

Download new episodes of the New Mexico News Podcast every Tuesday starting at approximately 5:30 a.m. Mountain Time. Episodes are available on most podcast platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and Podbean.

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If you have a question, comment, or suggestion for who should be interviewed on the podcast, let us know! Email the hosts at [email protected] or [email protected].