Over 30 homes destroyed; 1,300 evacuated in Kokopelli Fire (NM)

A grass and timber fire near Alto, northwest of Ruidoso, has has burned more than 30 homes and forced the 1,300 residents to evacuate.

The blaze, called the Kokopelli Fire, had burned at least 32 homes as of 6:30 p.m. Saturday. Those homes were located in the east end of Alto and in the Rancho Ruidoso and Deer Park Woods subdivisions.

The Kokopelli Fire was estimated to be at least 1,000 acres as of 5:30 p.m. Saturday. It was burning just south of the Rancho Ruidoso subdivision and was moving towards the east.

Ruidoso emergency manager Tomas Chavez said the city had declared a state of emergency and was asking that the area be declared a disaster area. Governor Johnson planned to personally inspect the area Sunday.

Evacuations: About 1,300 people have been evacuated from the Kokopelli, Rancho Ruidoso, Deer Park Woods and High Mesa subdivisions. Many residents in the Ranches of Santera subdivision have also evacuated on their own accord.

The Red Cross is serving evacuees at Alto Lakes Country Club. The Ruidoso High School also opened its doors to assist evacuees.

A juvenile detention facility called Camp Sierra Blanca was placed on standby Saturday evening to evacuate. The inmates there would be transferred to a facility in Roswell if necessary. Families of inmates can call (505)841-2400 for information.

The Red Cross is accepting donations for the victims of the Kokopelli Fire. Donors can call 1-888-622-4370.

Battling the Fire: High winds continued to push flames out of control through residential areas Saturday night. Wind were sustained at 47 miles per hour at the Sierra Blanca Airport Saturday with gusts around 60 miles per hour.

The fire knocked out power at the airport Saturday evening, hindering efforts to refuel emergency vehicles. The power was restored by 6:30 p.m.

The fire began shortly after noon Saturday in the driveway of a home near the Kokopelli Country Club. The cause is still unknown but is believed to be human-caused. The Lincoln County Sheriff's Office declared the fire "suspicious" Saturday evening.

Over 400 firefighters from across the region are battling the blaze. Slurry bombers were dropping repellent in the afternoon, but were grounded due to high winds. As of 6:00 p.m. Saturday evening, authorities decided to ground the slurry bombers for the remainder of the evening. They would begin again early as possible Sunday morning.

Other Fires: Two other wildfires were also burning on the nearby Mescalero Apache Reservation, but no structures are threatened. The #5-#2 Fire near Pajarita Mountain has burned more than 10,000 acres. The other blaze, the Rock Crusher Fire near Apache Summit, burned less than an acre. It was quickly extinguished.

Stay with Eyewitness News 4 and KOBTV.com for the latest information as it becomes available.

As of 9:50 a.m. Sunday, additional evacuations ordered in the Ruidoso-Hondo Valley area and two other locations south of the area that burned on Saturday. Winds already gusting 30-45 mph in the area. Gusts up to 60 mph expected in some areas. Number of homes burned down to 30 from 32 last evening. Helicopter shots show the fire skipped and jumped. Some homes burned while those next door were o.k.

Noon MST update:

Governor Johnson live at press conference at noon. Both optimistic and pessimistic. Optimistic that no other areas in SW are burning right now and have resources concentrated in this area. Pessimistic that have multiple (thousands)new ignition sources as a result of yesterdays spread of t he fire. Origin is NOT arson. Homeowner took ashes from a fireplace (thought cool) and dumped them outside the house. Wind blew them and started a fire.

Governor Johnson calls for individuals to take action to prepare for fire -- cut brush and grass near house. Federal and state resources are at full disposal to fight fires. Johnson (a libertarian-leaning Republican in his last year of office) is a very articulate speaker and answers questions fully. Of course, this is a long way from the magnitude of the Cerro Grande fire in Los Alamos that caused 400 families to lose their homes.

Unfortunately, the Red Cross is the only entity that I personally know of in this area. However, I'm sure that local churches are opening their doors, also. In rural areas, the Red Cross is composed of local people who are neighbors and volunteers. It's only when a disaster of national scope occurs do you get the type of bureaucratic mentality that leads to power grabs, corruption and a denial of American values (as happened in urban CA with the local and national organization forbidding singing of patriotic songs, or those mentioning God).

You have the problem of the mosaic of private and federal land: even if the Forest Service pursues an effective policy, it wouldn't amount to much if private land owners didn't- or vice versa. I wold be reluctant to make someone thin their woods, as it is their property- but still, you might argue that by refusing to deal with a problem they are adversly affect their neighbor's property. It is a rather difficult question, without an easy answer. The Forest Service land obviously should have a good fire ecology plan, but one is left to the problem of private land- keeping property safe but preserving property rights at the same time. What do you think should be done?

I doubt logging and controlled burns would be very popular- and burning perhaps not even possible.

Living in the midst of the largest forest of ponderosa pines in the world where sanitary burning is a daily (conditions permitting) event, I can assure you that the commie socialist yuppie scum put up with it. The la-de-da and hoi-poi understand that this practice reduces the likelihood of crown and wild fires and just suck it up, though never forgetting that 'tobacco smoke' is bad.

No one is forced to clear the immediate area around their house, and there no penalty if one does not do so. In fact, there are Federal grants that will reimburse you for certain expenses for doing this (though many could easily argue that our tax money should not be used in this manner).

Even if your neighbors do not clear their land, you can usually protect your own residence if you do not build directly under the trees, clear brushy material and grass, and use common sense on building materials -- for example a woodframe house with a cedar shake shingle roof is an invitation for a fire. Today's aerial pictures show houses, even mobile homes, that were still standing as a result of small cleared areas around them.

KOB-TV now reading list of names and addresses of residents who lost homes. Lots of homeowners who live in Texas -- Lubbock, El Paso, Snyder, Garland, Houston. Station says all have already been notified so this should not be first notification. I'm sure the list will be posted soon on KOB's web site.

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.