Albuquerque Journal
Donated funds and relief will benefit those people and businesses displaced by the recent wildfire in Las Tusas, New Mexico.
A spring storm moved west to east across New Mexico on Wednesday, bringing high winds to the Albuquerque metro area on Wednesday, hail and thunderstorms to the Eastern Plains near Texas and a wildfire north of Las Vegas. The Las Tusas fire near Sapello started Wednesday afternoon and led dozens to evacuate their homes and shuttered roads.
State Police spokesman Ray Wilson said the fire had crossed N.M. 94, near the junction with County Road A4A, and was headed east toward State Road 518. By 8 p.m., the fire had grown to an estimated 100-200 acres, destroyed some structures and was threatening others.
The thick plume of smoke rising up from the forested hillsides sent a tinge of panic through northern New Mexico. It was dry and and windy — just like last year. It was April 2022 that a record-setting wildfire sparked by the federal government had ripped across more than 530 square miles (1,373 square kilometers), destroying hundreds of homes and livelihoods along the way. And now, firefighters were racing again to catch a new blaze. This one started Wednesday afternoon on private property near the burn scar left by last year’s historic wildfire and had grown to an estimated 1,000 acres (405 hectares) by nightfall. Fire managers were hoping to get an updated estimate Thursday night.
The cause of the fire is under investigation. Nervous residents posted photos on social media showing the plume of smoke, as seen from their front porches. Others choked back tears as they left the area in their vehicles, capturing photos and videos of trees along the roadside and homes in the distance engulfed in fire. Many questioned how there was anything left to burn. “People are still recovering from last year. A lot of these people who are getting evacuated right now were also evacuated last year, so it’s a very difficult time for them,” said Matthew Garcia, a fire information officer with the State Forestry Division.
