RUIDOSO — A half dozen residents gathered at a police checkpoint on the corner of Meander Drive and Gavilan Canyon Road. They watched as pillars of smoke rose, changing from black to white to black again.
The residents chatted for a while, speculating about the firefighter's tactics and whose homes were burning. Silence washed over the small crowd. The fire's roar brought all conversation to an end.
The onlookers at Meander Drive and Gavilan Canyon Road didn't know that the fire had just jumped Gavilan Canyon Road and discovered a whole new set of fuel. The jump triggered an evacuation, announced hastily at the end of a press conference on the other side of the village.
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The McBride fire has burned over 5,000 acres in Lincoln County, according to officials. Over 200 homes have been damaged or destroyed and the fire remains uncontained. On Thursday, officials said that the wind was pushing the fire away from Ruidoso. But the day before, an evening emergency evacuation forced several dozen residents and campers on Gavilan Canyon Road into a frantic flee.
It was a lot for Las Cruces business owner Rick Stoes to take in.
"I've got a lot of people mad at me," Stoes said, referring to coworkers and employees he left behind in Doña Ana county. He wanted to make sure his family's belongings sequestered inside a small vacation home on Meander Road were saved.
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"We've got 60 years of family history there," Stoes said. "Pictures and awards and horse blankets from my dad who passed away when I was five."
Before the evacuation order came, Stoes had to make decisions about what to pack into his SUV and what to leave behind. After packing, he watched as fire crews built a fire line at the top of a ridge that abutted his property.
When the evacuation order did come, campers at Riverside RV Park did not waste any time fleeing.
Wednesday:Evacuations ordered for 'significant portion' of Ruidoso
"You can quote me on this one, this sucks," one camper told the Sun-News as he packed his RV. The man did not wish to provide his name. "I just hope it's still here because I love this park."
The RVers eventually made their way to Walmart on the other side of the evacuation line. Two firefighters with the Ruidoso Fire Department stayed behind to watch over the park after everyone left.
Roger "Doc" Elliott had a tougher job evacuating, as he had livestock to also consider.
For the Elliotts, it was all business. They packed their five horse, including an ornery mare, and some feed away and, within 30 minutes of the evacuation order, they had fled the area.
Justin Garcia is a public safety reporter for the Las Cruces Sun-News. He can be reached at JEGarcia@lcsun-news.com.
