By Marty Mayfield
KRTN Multi-Media
Around 2:00 p.m. Thursday afternoon the smoke began to rise over Ute Park as a fire that started in Ponderosa Pine and grass just south of the village spread north north east driven by southwesterly winds.
It didnt take long before evacuations were ordered on the east side of Ute Park as the fire moved that way closing US Highway 64. As the fire grew the evacuation orders included all of Ute Park with evacuation centers being established at the the Eagle Nest Senior Center, the Cimarron Methodist Church and the Cimarron Public Schools.
The smoke spread over the New Mexico sky and was soon seen to the northeast well into Colorado by sunset. According to the New Mexico Forestry Division the fire has consumed over 4500 acres with approximately 150 structures being threatened which also includes the New Mexico Forestry Division Field office on the north side of Highway 64 just east of Ute Park. Around 7:00 p.m. the fire had jumped Highway 64 and was moving north onto the Philmont Scout Ranch. Ranch staff informed NMFD that all of their staff had been accounted for and that no scouts were out on the trails yet. The Ranch has evacuated staff from the north country.
Eagle Nest Lake has been closed to boating so that the lake could be used by fire fighting aircraft as a water source. Fire fighters from Cimarron, Miami, Eagle Nest, Angel Fire, Philmont, Raton and Vermejo Park were battling the blaze along with heavy air tankers out of Albuquerque. Help has been requested from Union County as well. A Type 1 Incident Management Team has been ordered to take charge of the fire scene.
According to Raton City Manager Scott Berry, Colfax County Manager Mary Lou Kerns has asked the city to open the Raton Convention as an evacuation center. Cimarron residents received a text a little after 8:00 p.m. recommending non-mandatory evacuations and are being told to prepare for mandatory evacuation should the fire approach Cimarron any closer. Officials have opened the Raton Convention Center in preparation for an evacuation of Cimarron.
County Manager Kerns will assess the situation Friday morning and likely call an emergency meeting of the Colfax County Commissioners to make an emergency declaration.
Stay Tuned for more details as they become available.
Posted by Stone Kite on Thursday, May 31, 2018
Video sent to KRTN by Stone Rice
