Single Publication

Blue 2 Fire Morning Update, May 25, 2024

Update: As a proactive precaution, Lincoln County Emergency Services has issued a new Emergency Evacuation for the Villa Madonna Subdivision. Go is also issued for area off Forest Service Road 127A, also known as Upper Eagle Creek, off of Ski Run road and surrounding area along 523 Ski Run road & Eagle Creek Sports Complex. Please evacuate to the Capitan Fairgrounds Shelter. For more information, please contact the Emergency Contact Center: (575) 336-8600.

LOCATIONS IN “SET” include: Sierra Vista & Sun Valley Subdivisions, All Ski Run Road, The Alto Area & The Community of Angus. 

LOCATIONS IN “READY” include: Enchanted Loop Community and areas East and North of the community.

Please note this is a fluid situation and boundaries for ready, set, go are changing. Updated map of locations to come as soon as possible. Emergency Management Services are issuing non-opt in alerts to people in the “GO” area. You can hear more information on 1490 AM station. 

Recreation, sporting events, and tourism occurring in the area should heed the warnings set by the county.

“As a precautionary measure, a command decision was made to engage early in safety evacuations. We will continue to be proactive while in command of this incident.” -Incident Commander, Lino Baca. 

Wind is expected to be a large factor in fire growth, with high winds and gusts predicted in the fire area. Today’s mission focused on air and ground operations. Red Flag Warning & Wind Advisory is in effect for the Village of Ruidoso for today, May 25, 2024, until 10:00 PM. The Southwest Complex Incident Team is enroute and will transition Sunday. 

There is a new closure order issued by the Lincoln National Forest, Smokey Bear District. The restricted area is National Forest System lands, roads, and trails within and around the Smokey Bear District on the Lincoln National Forest. The western boundary of the Restricted Area is located at the junction of National Forest Service Road (NFSR) 400 and NFSR 108 Tanbark, NFSR 108 Tanbark to NFSR 107, NFSR 107 to Big Bonito trail #36 to the junction of Aspen Trail # 35, Aspen Trial #35 to the junction of Crest Trail #25, Crest Trail #25 to the junction of Trail # 78, Trail #78 to the Forest Boundary. The Southern boundary is the Forest Boundary from trail # 78 going east for approximately 4.75 miles, then due north for approximately 1/10 of a mile to road 532, road 532 east to the Forest Service Boundary. The eastern boundary is the Forest Service Boundary due north approximately 9 miles north to NFSR 400. The northern boundary is NFSR 400 west to the junction of NFSR 108 Tanbark Canyon, the junction of Rodamaker Trail # 20 along NFSR 107 to the Big Bonito trail #36. The purpose of this Order is to protect the safety of firefighter personnel and the public as firefighters engage in suppression tactics on the Blue 2 wildfire. 

This Order shall be in effect from May 23, 2024, at 12:01 a.m. through 23 August 2024, at 12:01 p.m., unless rescinded. 2. A map identifying the Described Area is linked below. 

Lincoln County has declared a state of disaster to ensure resource availability. Lincoln County Fire Service advises citizens to sign up for CodeRed (see link below) even if you are not impacted by this fire, it is an important resource for local residents.

Current Evacuations issued by the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office are under effect for Villa Madonna Subdivision, Bonito Lake Rd, Forest Service Road 108, and Forest Service Road 107. At this time, the Angus Area, Sierra Vista & Sun Valley subdivisions on the west side of Hwy48 should also be ready for evacuations.

Please keep 911 open and available for emergencies. 

The public townhall meeting has been added to our incident Facebook page. And another is scheduled for tonight at 7 PM.

Start Date / Time: May 17, 2024, approximately 3:45 p.m.

Cause: Lightning

Size: Blue 2 Fire: 3,427 acres

Location: White Mountain Wilderness

Resources: 177 Personnel, more EnRoute

Vegetation/Fuels: Dead and dead/down trees

Containment: 0%

Tactic: Full Suppression

Smoke: Moderate / Wind Influenced Smoke

Evacuation:

Go Now: Bonito Lake Road, Forest Service Road 108, Forest Service Road 107, Villa Madonna Subdivision, Forest Service Road 127A, also known as Upper Eagle Creek off of ski run road and surrounding area along 523 Ski Run Road, Eagle Creek Ball Fields,

Be Set: Sierra Vista Subdivision, Sun Valley Subdivision, Angus Communities, Ski Run Road, Alto Area, 

Be Ready: East of Enchanted Loop Communities, North towards Nogal 

Shelters: Lincoln County Fairgrounds / 101 5th St. Capitan NM 88316

Animal Shelters: Humane Society of Lincoln County / 25962 US Hwy 70 Ruidoso NM 88345

Area Closures: Part of White Mountain Wilderness Area, See link for more information: https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-publication/nmlnf-blue-2-fire/-closure-update-for-trails-on-white-mountain-wilderness-area-05-22-2024

More Information: 

Facebook: www.facebook.com/LincolnNationalForest

NM Fire Info: www.NMFireInfo.com

InciWeb: https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-information/nmlnf-blue-2-fire 

Lincoln County CodeRed: message “lincolnnmalerts” to 99411

New Closure Order Map: https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/lincoln/alerts-notices