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CNN Sunday Morning

New Mexico Battles Wildfire

Aired June 03, 2001 - 09:26   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LINDA STOUFFER, CNN ANCHOR: Evacuees in Ruidoso, New Mexico have been allowed to return home. About one-third of the town was forced to leave at one time because of the advancing fire from the 700 acre wildfire and they could be asked to leave again. So the very latest on the situation we want to take you right to Ruidoso.

Mariza Reyes of CNN affiliate KOAT joins us live. Mariza what's going on up there right now?

MARIZA REYES, KOAT REPORTER: Well, good morning, Linda. There's good news and bad news regards to this trappy fire here in Ruidoso. If you take a look behind me, you can see some of the smoke billowing from the mountaintops.

We're actually about two miles away from this fire that started on the Muscolara (ph) Apache reservation. Now the good news is that this fire is about five percent contained as of this morning. That means there is a perimeter around some of it, which is protecting some of the homes that were in the fire's path. The bad news is that it's a red flag morning according to fire officials and they say that winds could kick up to about 35 miles per hour by lunch time. So they're going to continue their slurry drops this morning.

Now yesterday afternoon about 1,000 people fled from their homes as 700-acre fire came closer and closer to their properties. Choppers flew overhead trying to stop the flames from scorching any more land. It didn't help the fight that the winds kicked up to 40 miles per hour, eventually knocking out power to all of Lincoln County.

This morning at a fire briefing, firefighters were told wind conditions will determine the future of this fire.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think the winds are going to be the ones that's going to hurt this fire if it keeps up today. And if they can get it early this morning it will probably be all right.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

REYES: Now there are about 300 firefighters battling this blaze and about 100 National Guardsmen came in late last night. They're going to be putting in generators at the airport for water. Now again, the fire is about five percent contained. So far no structures have been lost and no injuries have been reported. And more slurry drops will continue this morning.

Reporting live from Ruidoso, New Mexico, Mariza Reyes. Linda, back to you.

STOUFFER: OK, thank you very much. That is some good news, anyway, about no injuries out there. So we'll continue to watch what happens. In that shot you can see it's pretty clear weather, though. I'm sure they'd like some rain.

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