The Federal Bureau of Investigation is offering a prize for information on two wildfires in southern New Mexico that have left two people dead, forced the evacuation of thousands and burned more than 24,000 acres.
The agency is offering up to $10,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the “person or persons responsible for starting the fires” near the village of Ruidoso, New Mexico. the agency said in a statement.
The FBI is asking for the public’s help in identifying what started the fires.
Margot Cravens, a spokeswoman for the FBI’s Albuquerque field office, declined to comment Sunday evening but confirmed the agency was assisting in the investigation.
The South Fork and Salt Fires started June 17 in sweltering temperatures and were still burning Sunday evening. Extreme temperatures, low humidity and heavy rains in the region have complicated efforts to put out fires, that burn in the Mescalero Apache Tribal Area, on U.S. Forest Service lands, and in areas around Ruidoso.
The South Fork Fire, the larger of the two wildfires, has burned more than 17,000 acres and was only 31% contained as of Sunday, according to New Mexico Fire Information, a website run by federal agencies and states.
The Salt Fire has burned more than 7,000 acres of tribal land in mostly inaccessible mountainous areas and is only 7 percent contained, authorities said.
The two deceased people were found Tuesday in or near Ruidoso, according to New Mexico State Police. One of them, a 60-year-old man, was found burned on the side of a road near a motel, police said. The other victim was found in the driver’s seat of a burned-out vehicle on a road.
About 1,400 structures were destroyed and about 8,000 people in and around Ruidoso were forced to evacuate, according to the authorities said.
Ruidoso announced he would lift evacuation orders for full-time residents, allowing them to return Monday starting at 8 a.m. Some homes may be without gas, water and electricity, and air quality may be poor due to smoke and ash, according to a Health Ministry statement. the village website. Residents are advised to bring a week’s worth of groceries and water.
Some areas will remain off-limits because they are considered crime scenes and are “subject to recovery efforts,” the release said.
The report was provided by Derrick Bryson Taylor, Isabelle Kwai, Jacey Fortin, Yan Zhuang and Reyes Mata III.
