Hundreds Flee N.M. Wildfire

CLOUDCROFT, N.M. — About 800 people fled their homes and at least three structures were destroyed as a wind-driven wildfire roared through 1,500 acres of the Lincoln National Forest on Wednesday and threatened the tiny Otero County town of Mayhill.

Erratic winds--with gusts up to 60 mph--forced firefighters to pull back from the rapidly growing Penasco Fire and prevented air tankers from dropping fire-retardant chemicals.

The state’s Emergency Operations Center opened Wednesday afternoon to coordinate fire control efforts.

“We lost it; the weather conditions were totally against us,” said Rick Hartigan, a fire information officer with the U.S. Forest Service.

The fire, which started Tuesday, was burning in a heavily wooded area of the Sacramento Mountains. Up to 800 people were evacuated, said Tom Gorman, a spokesman for the emergency operations center.

David Williams, who lives about 15 miles southwest of Cloudcroft, said the fire had destroyed his home and a fire official said another house also had been lost.

“I knew for a fact this was the one I had been expecting for 10 years,” Williams said of the fire.

In southern Arizona, fire had charred up to 30,000 acres of dry grass and oak brush, knocking out power to Ft. Huachuca Army post.

Three Ft. Huachuca schools were closed and all nonemergency personnel were urged to stay home, said base spokeswoman Tanja Linton.

The blackout, caused when fire damaged power lines, posed no danger, she said.