FBI joins investigation into cause of Ruidoso fires

RUIDOSO, NM – The FBI confirmed Friday that it is now assisting state, federal and tribal investigators in determining how the Ruidoso fires started.

The FBI is asking anyone with information that may assist in the investigation to call 1-800-CALL-FBI (225-5324).

The South Fork Fire was first reported at 9 a.m. Monday on the Mescalero Apache Reservation west of Ruidoso and spread to 20 acres within four hours.

The Salt Fire was first reported on the reservation in Otero County southwest of Ruidoso at 2 p.m. Monday. The fire spread to 35 acres within the first hour.

Then both fires exploded in growth.

By 7:30 p.m. Monday, the South Fork Fire had expanded to 2,250 acres and the Salt Fire to 1,751 acres. By morning, the South Fork Fire had expanded to 13,921 acres and the Salt Fire to 4,876 acres.

Firefighters say the rain is containing the fires but is also hampering firefighting efforts. Local authorities are currently concerned about possible flooding.

Ruidoso Mayor Lynn Crawford says the village is preparing for flooding this weekend, which is the main reason evacuees are still not allowed to return home.

“The last thing we want to do is invite everyone in and then launch another rescue mission after we’ve already exhausted all the resources available in the state and are now reaching out to other surrounding states,” Crawford said. “Because unfortunately we are not the only disaster unfolding in the state right now.”

The South Fork and Salt fires cover a total of 24,000 acres. There is no official cause yet. The FBI’s involvement in the investigation suggests that the theory that the fires were caused by humans still exists.

“I don’t know what services they will provide, I haven’t been briefed on their capabilities,” Crawford told KOB 4. “So we will bring them into the unified command and that will then be controlled from the EOC.”

The EOC is the emergency operations center – the base camp for Ruidoso village leaders and firefighters.

MORE: