Ruidoso looks back on the impact of the South Fork and Salt Fires
RUIDOSO, N.M. (KRQE) – One year ago, fear and panic struck Ruidoso as a wildfire exploded. The entire village packed up what they could and left, with many coming back to nothing. The South Fork and Salt Fires left two dead, thousands of homes destroyed, and a long road to recovery.
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Business owner Jackie Hunter feared the worst. 'We were evacuated for a week and a half. Didn't know what was going on with the fires. Didn't even know if we still had a building left,' said Hunter. On June 17, 2024, flames spread through the village quickly. The South Fork and Salt Fires burned more than 25,000 acres and 1,400 structures, many of them homes. After that came burn scar flooding.
Hunter, owner of A Quilting Stituation' in Alto, said business has been slow the past year. But it's given her the opportunity to be there for the community in a new way. 'We got to hear a lot of stories of a lot of people coming here of people who lost their homes from either the fire or the flood…it just breaks your heart.'
The Village of Ruidoso Mayor Lynn Crawford remembered the heartache. 'So that was a big day, a lot of devastation,' said Mayor Crawford.
But when the worst of it passed, he pushed forward. 'But it was setting up those avenues of how do we help people get back to normal or whatever that new normal was going to look like?' said Mayor Crawford.
Another loss came when tourism took a hit during the height of the summer season. 'That's where most of the businesses make the majority of their money annually,' said Mayor Crawford.
He's reminding people that the popular tourist town is open for business. 'We've been doing a lot of marketing and advertising for the community to say 'hey, we're open, come back and see us. Tourism is our industry,' said Mayor Crawford.
A lot of work has been done from de-silting the river, cleaning out and replacing culverts, removing debris, deepening the river and runoff channels, but the work isn't over. 'Whenever you have a tragedy like this you see neighbors coming together you see people helping out one another,' said Hunter.
While the village has rebuilt, there is still the fear of something like the South Fork and Salt Fires happening again. 'You see smoke, and a chill fear goes through you,' said Hunter.
Tuesday night, the Village of Ruidoso held an event designed to honor those impacted by the fires. Mayor Crawford recognized the courageous first responders and celebrated the community's continued resilience.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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