Wildfire damages Civil War-area historical site in New Mexico as
campgrounds are evacuated
[May 27, 2025]
By MORGAN LEE
SANTA FE,
N.M. (AP) — A wildfire swept through portions of a Civil War-era fort
and historical site in southern New Mexico, forcing the evacuations of
campgrounds and a horse ranch, authorities said Monday.
The fire
damaged structures at Fort Stanton Historical Site built by the Civilian
Conservation Corps in the 1930s and a gym erected by Germans interned at
the site during World War II after their ship sank.
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In this photo provided by the Fort Stanton Historic Site, destruction
from the Camp Fire, which damaged several historic buildings at Fort
Stanton, a historic site managed by the New Mexico Department of
Cultural Affairs, is seen Monday, May 26, 2025, in Fort Stanton, N.M.
(Oliver Horn/Fort Stanton Historic Site via AP) |
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Ground crews, air tankers and helicopters joined efforts to
contain a blaze that scorched more than a square mile (3 square
kilometers) of terrain at the site and surrounding conservation
lands managed by the federal Bureau of Land Management.
Laura Rabon, a spokesperson for a multiagency team responding to
the situation, said crews cleared lines of vegetation Monday on
the north side of the wildfire and helicopters doused smoldering
hot spots with water. The fire was contained along 4% of its
boundary.
The blaze at Fort Stanton is about 15 miles (24 kilometers) away
from communities at Ruidoso that were ravaged by wildfires last
year when several hundred homes and businesses were destroyed.
Those fires were followed by devastating flooding and erosion in
scorched areas.
Separately in Arizona, more than 500 firefighters and support
personnel had largely contained the boundaries of a wildfire
northeast of Tuscon, in the Santa Catalina Mountains, that has
destroyed five homes in the community of Oracle. Evacuations
were rescinded in some residential areas — but not all — on
Monday.
Fire activity at Fort Stanton decreased amid mild high
temperatures Monday of 75 degrees (24 Celsius) and 10 mph (16
kph) winds. The source of the fire was unknown, with a BLM
investigator scheduled to begin work Tuesday.
Horses and a family of four were first evacuated Sunday from a
private ranch in the vicinity, but they had been allowed to
return.
On Sunday, air tankers dropped fire retardant on the outskirts
of the fire in efforts to slow its progress.
Highway 220 was closed near Fort Stanton to ensure access for
firefighting crews, as more than 70 people fought the fire. Fort
Stanton Historical Site was closed and three nearby camping
areas were evacuated.
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