Cloudcroft Enters Fire Season: The Moser Fire Update
Cloudcroft Enters Fire Season: The Moser Fire Update
The fire isn’t ‘out’ yet, but morning reports were cautiously optimistic. In coordinated efforts, responders continue towards total containment.
The Moser Fire started Monday afternoon, east of the village of Cloudcroft, roughly four miles from the village proper. Cloudcroft Reader reported on the fire with a regularly-updated Facebook post.
Winds blew from the west/southwest, and Highway 82 separated the fire from many unincorporated subdivisions. No structures are reported lost, but two were confirmed in danger on Monday near Elk Springs and Moser Road.
No injuries or fatalities are reported at this time.
Lincoln National Forest responders, the Smokey Bear Hotshots, and Volunteer Fire Departments are fighting the blaze, some near their very own homes. Hotshot crews from Arizona arrived to help in the dead of night on Monday.
As of 4:00 PM on Wednesday, the fire is listed at 96 acres and 47% contained.
Thanks to the responders’ diligence and bravery, it appears we can hold cautious optimism that containment is in the near future.
Cloudcroft’s Mayor Craig Turner steadily provided updates since the fire began. He shared this morning: “I went to the 6:00 am briefing... Very positive. The goal is to get as much accomplished today as possible while conditions are good. Tomorrow the winds pick back up. The fire is surrounding and now trying to take any fuel away inside the perimeter.”
In the early hours of the fire, Turner urged the public to follow the Tularosa Basin Regional Dispatch Authority for timely information.
Evacuation orders were issued Monday for Quarris Acres, Cloud Country West RV, and the following roads and connecting roads: Alpine Rd; Hollywood Blvd; Pine Ridge Loop; and Wildwood Loop, but have since been lifted.
To suppress the wildfire, air tankers dropped slurry on Monday. Bulldozers cleared fire lines in the forest, and a helicopter dropped massive buckets of water on hot spots. Presently, hose has been laid around the perimeter of the fire, and crews are making careful use of village water resources. Night shift monitoring has been lifted, but crews will remain camped within a half-mile of the incident.
The Sacramento Hotshots are aiding with another blaze in northern New Mexico.
Another fire on the west side of Cloudcroft village was swiftly put out by the Volunteer Fire Department. The cause of the fires is under investigation by Lincoln National Forest Service law enforcement, and is unknown at the time of this writing.
Overwhelming responses and offers to shelter volunteers, evacuees, and livestock flooded the Cloudcroft Community and other surrounding area Facebook pages.
Evacuation shelters included the Cloudcroft High School Commons, The Cabins at Cloudcroft, Dusty Boots Motel and Cafe, The Summit Inn, the United Methodist Church, Mayhill’s Cool Pines RV Park, Mayhill Baptist Church, and the Otero County Fairgrounds.
A bear (and cub) sighting was reported behind Zenith Park, potentially pushed into town by the blaze.
Village Trustee Tabitha Foster shared several videos and photos with the Cloudcroft Reader, and encouraged citizens to sign up for county alerts and the reverse 9-1-1 service. Foster also made social media posts pressuring the United States Forest Service to close Lincoln National Forest until conditions improve.
The only donations the VFD have requested are water or Gatorade, which can be dropped off at the Cloudcroft Fire Department. The annual fundraiser and Yard Sale at the firehouse is held this weekend on Saturday from 6 AM until 6 PM, and Sunday beginning at 7 AM.
Cloudcroft remains under a red flag warning. Gusting winds are from the west/southwest, with a high of 69 degrees and zero percent chance of precipitation. Humidity is at a 9 percent average for Wednesday.
We will continue to follow this story. Subscribe to Cloudcroft Reader for more, for free. Video of the Moser Fire provided by Tabitha Foster.