San Francisco, June 20: One person was killed in the South Fork and Salt fires in the US state of New Mexico as the blazes remained active and uncontained, officials said. The fire broke out Monday morning on the Mescalero Apache Reservation, Xinhua news agency reported, citing the New Mexico Forestry Division. About 1,400 homes and other structures were destroyed, the forestry division said in an update.
The village of Ruidoso, a town of some 7,700 west of the reservation, was ordered to evacuate due to the advancing fire. Ruidoso Mayor Lynn Crawford said that the single death is the only reported as of Tuesday. New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham has declared a state of emergency for Lincoln and Otero counties and the Mescalero Apache Reservation.
