FIRE in Ruidoso

As we left our apartment for Afternoon conference we looked into the sky and saw black clouds that were very scarry. They reminded me of the clouds in the Joseph Smith Movie when they were on Zions camp. I took a few pictures and didn't think too much of it. But by the time we got out of conference a fire was raging through Ruidoso. It started in Galivan Canyon and spread throughout the city. People were lined throughout the streets watching it rage. We got a call from Murray and Teresa in Mescalero who heard it was by our apartments and they got worried and tried frantically to call us. We met them on the hill at Wall Mart, which overlooks the city and watched the fire rage through the hills. Several homes were taken and everyone anxiously watched and worried about the water tank that feeds the city to explode. There were fire fighters everywhere. Our complex was put on alert to evacuate. We live right next to the Race Track and the fire burned two of the horse corals. But they were lucky and the huge parking lot stopped it from spreading rapidly. People came out of there houses and I got to meet lots of people who live in the complex. Isn't it funny how a disaster brings people closer together. In the evening we walked out to see how the fire was doing. The picture I have posted in the evening is not evening lights. They are tiny fires on the mountainside that are still burning. This morning we found out five homes were taken and 6,000 acres of mountainside were burned. As we drove to Roswell, we saw the devasting effects. The fire went through Ruidoso, followed the highway, (which by the way had to be closed). We saw it went all the way to the Hondo Valley. In one spot it came down a canyon, jumped the road and burned a house completely to the ground. The funny thing was the house just next door was not touched. There were several spots where it came to the roadside. It is awful!!! This is such a beautiful place. I hate to see the vegetation burned this way. We are all on high alert for forest fires this summer. I have a fear of what would happen if they had one on the mescalero mountaintop. There are too many people that would be affected by it. Keep them in your prayers.