Moser Fire near Cloudcroft burns more than 100 acres
Fire crews continued fighting the Moser Fire reported near Cloudcroft Monday afternoon, according to the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) website, as residents on Alpine Road, Hollywood Boulevard, Pine Ridge Loop Road and Wildwood Loop Road were ordered to evacuate.
As of Monday night, the fire had burned 145 acres.
Firefighters from USFS, volunteer fire departments and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) were using ground machinery, air tankers and helicopters to fight the blaze.
The cause of the fire is unknown.
U.S. Highway 82 remained closed Tuesday morning from mile marker 17 to mile marker 21, according to the New Mexico Department of Transportation (NMDOT) website, as a result of the wildfire. Travelers were advised to New Mexico State Road 244 as an alternate route.
More: Moser Fire burning near Cloudcroft continues to grow
The Otero County Fairgrounds in Alamogordo are open for animal evacuations, read the Tularosa Basin Emergency Dispatch Authority Facebook page.
Fire weather forecast not good for the short term
Katie Slusher, a forecaster with the National Weather Service (NWS) in Santa Teresa, New Mexico said a red flag warning was issued for the Cloudcroft area on Monday.
She said humidity levels in Cloudcroft midday Monday were 15% to 17%.
“Below 15% is a critical threshold for fire weather,” Slusher said.
She said wind speeds varied around Cloudcroft Monday with gusts up to 15 miles per hour at times.
Slusher said dry weather and continued fire concerns were part of Cloudcroft’s forecast through Saturday.
She said there could be a chance of rain during the middle of next week.
Blue Fires continue near Ruidoso
Two lightning caused fires in the White Mountain Wilderness Area were continually monitored by fire officials Monday.
Aerial observations noted the Blue Fire had not shown any growth. The Blue 2 Fire continued to spread at a low-to-moderate rate and was estimated at 45 acres, read the New Mexico Fire Information website.
More: Wildfires ignite in Lincoln National Forest near Ruidoso
“The remote location and severe terrain make the wildfire unsafe for firefighters to engage directly at this time. Fire managers are determining a safe perimeter for crews to contain the wildfire,” read the website.
Mike Smith can be reached at 575-628-5546 or by email at MSmith@currentargus.com.
This article originally appeared on Carlsbad Current-Argus: Moser Fire near Cloudcroft burns 100 acres
