Updated at 9:02 a.m. MDT April 13, 2022
The Incident Management team’s latest update on the McBride Fire was Tuesday night at 9 p.m. At that time the size was listed at 4,138 acres. Approximately 150 structures have burned.
The blaze spread very rapidly after it started Wednesday afternoon. The fire behavior was described by firefighters as extreme, with crowning and spotting as it burned to the northwest through timber and grass.
To see all articles on Wildfire Today about the McBride Fire, including the most recent, click HERE.
Mandatory evacuations are in place for the area around Moon Mountain, McBride/Snowcap/Timberline, Eagle Creek, Homestead Acres, Rancho Ruidoso Valley Estates, Deer Valley, Deer Park, and Alto east of Flute Player. The Ruidoso Convention Center is accepting evacuees. More evacuations are possible. The Lincoln County Fairgrounds, Roswell Animal Shelter, and Otero Fairgrounds are open for those who need to evacuate with livestock.
The area is under a Red Flag Warning again on Wednesday. The spot weather forecast for the McBride Fire issued at 1:40 a.m. on Wednesday, said, “The ongoing light precipitation will end in the next 3 hours with no accumulation expected.” On Wednesday it will be sunny. The winds will be out of the west at 16 mph with gusts to around 31 mph, with a minimum humidity of 6 percent. Wednesday night will see no humidity recovery with a maximum of 16 percent and 10 to 14 mph winds gusting to 26 out of the southwest and west. Thursday should bring west winds of 7 to 14 mph with 7 percent relative humidity.
A Type 1 Incident Management Team, Southwest Team #2, is mobilizing.
Updated at 8:15 p.m. MDT April 12, 2022
The Village of Ruidoso released an update on the McBride Fire at 7 p.m. Tuesday:
An air attack update has decreased the estimated acreage to 3,000. At this time 150 homes and structures have been lost. This is an active fire and is at 0% contained.
A mandatory evacuation notice is in order for Moon Mountain, Gavilan Canyon, Hull Road and Paradise Canyon. If you live in those areas please evacuate to the Ruidoso Convention Center. Mandatory evacuations are already in place for Eagle Creek, Homestead Acres, Rancho Ruidoso Valley Estates, Old Fort Stanton Road, and Airport Road. More evacuations are possible.
The Ruidoso Convention Center is open and the Red Cross is on site to assist those who have evacuated. The Lincoln County Fairgrounds are currently full but the Roswell Animal Shelter and Otero Fairgrounds are open for those who need to evacuate with livestock.
Crews were able to knock back the fire near the Ruidoso Middle School and evacuate 1,700+ students in 1.5 hours from Ruidoso High School, Ruidoso Middle School and Elementary Schools to the Ruidoso Convention Center. Ruidoso Municipal Schools have cancelled school for Wednesday, April 13, 2022.
6:53 p.m. MDT April 12, 2022
After the McBride Fire started near McBride Drive in Ruidoso, New Mexico at approximately 2:30 p.m. April 12 it spread very rapidly pushed by winds recorded at the nearby Smokey Bear weather station at 40 mph sustained, gusting at one point to 80 mph. The winds all day in Ruidoso have been out of the southwest and the relative humidity in the afternoon dropped to 19 percent.
There are reports of multiple structures having been destroyed.
At 5 p.m. the Lincoln National Forest said on their Twitter account that it had spread to 15,000 acres and “Ruidoso residents N of Ruidoso High School need to evacuate immediately.” Specifically, areas being evacuated include Gavilan Canyon Road, Homestead Loop, Eagle Creek, Blue Lake Drive, Mira Monte Road, and east of Fort Stanton Rd. The Ruidoso Convention Center is accepting evacuees. (Later that 15,000-acre figure was reduced to 3,000 acres.)
The fire has been spreading to the northeast toward the Sierra Blanca Regional Airport.
The local power company, PNM, shut off the electricity to 18,400 customers because the fire was moving toward a transmission line.
Within a few hours after the fire started a Type 1 Incident Management Team used for the most complex emergency incidents was ordered. It is very rare for this type of team to be requested a few hours after a fire is first reported.
With 40 mph winds gusting to more than 70, helicopters and fixed wing firefighting aircraft can’t be used safely or effectively. A small twin engine aircraft has been orbiting the fire at 17,000 feet providing intelligence and looking for opportunities to engage the fire.
Another fire that started on Tuesday, the Nogal Canyon Fire, is also burning on the Lincoln National Forest 12 miles northwest of Ruidoso, southwest of Nogal. Judging from heat detected by satellites it is spreading rapidly. The Forest Service said at about 4 p.m. Tuesday that all of Nogal Canyon was under an evacuation order.
Thanks and a tip of the hat go out to Tom.
Media never covers how these fire start. No start. No fire. 80% of fires are human caused. When says ” under investigation ” means human caused. This does not fit climate change narative. Convict arsonists and heavily fine / jail. So ridiculous.
Fred, you CLEARLY have no idea what you are talking about. people like you are why everyone is so spun out about everything these days. You are just regurgitating some half baked information you may have heard somewhere in the past.
The fine fuel loading in NM this year is very high! All the moisture last summer grew a lot of grass. Fires that start in 70 mile an hour winds with high, fine fuel loading are very hard to control. If this fire was going to start regardless, better now than JUNE. I’m sorry for the folks who have lost everything! Somethings are beyond our control. What the general public can do, is ensure their properties in the interface are defensible for all federal, state and cooperators. Not a SINGLE life is worth a house or shed.
Fred, none of this is accurate. As far as the climate change narrative goes, is fire behavior like this normal for April? Nope.
Power line hit the ground and started the fire
um seriously ? does not fit climate change ? There was no rain for months, and 0 snkw pack…. Wake up climate deniers and smell the f150 fumes.
What is the status of Cloudcroft? My sister lives there
I live in Alto Alps Condo, 88312 off Mechem. What do you recommend ?
My mother-in-law lives on N. Eagle Dr. they don’t have power, not in evacuation zone. To top it off, my husband and his sister are visiting her this week. Who would have thought there would be a major wildfire in APRIL????? This is horrible.
The fine fuel loading in NM this year is very high! All the moisture last summer grew a lot of grass. Fires that start in 70 mile an hour winds with high, fine fuel loading are very hard to control. If this fire was going to start regardless, better now than JUNE. I’m sorry for the folks who have lost everything! Somethings are beyond our control. What the general public can do, is ensure their properties in the interface are defensible for all federal, state and cooperators. Not a SINGLE life is worth a house or shed.
Is the Cedar Creek area west/ northwest affected? 99howdyjudy@gmail.com
Thanks.
Slightly west. We have property on Brady Canyon that is Southwest of the fire. As far as I know the fire was heading north. Folks we know in Cedar Creek are fine for now but they know at least 4 families (not in Cedar Creek) that have lost everything.