A deadly medical plane crash near Ruidoso, New Mexico, has triggered a second emergency after the impact ignited a wildfire that rapidly exploded in size over the weekend, forcing evacuations in a rural area north of the Capitan Mountains, The Associated Press reported.
As firefighters work to contain the blaze in steep terrain, officials have also closed parts of the Lincoln National Forest and warned that dry, windy weather could keep conditions dangerous.
According to the New Mexico Fire Information system, the fire ignited around 4:00 a.m. local time on May 14. An update from the system for May 20 stated the fire is only 7% contained and has burned through over 16,400 acres.
The small medical plane was headed from Roswell Air Center toward Sierra Blanca Regional Airport before it went down ahead of sunrise last Thursday, according to the Associated Press.
All four people aboard were killed: Generation Jets pilots Keelan Clark and Ali Kawsara, along with Trans Aero MedEvac flight nurses Jamie Novick and Sarah Clark.
Officials said the crash sparked the wildfire, which grew rapidly in the days that followed.
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Despite a response involving more than 600 firefighters from federal land agencies and Hotshot crews, the blaze is still out of control. Evacuations were ordered for ranches to the northeast, while the community of Arabella to the west was also a focus for protection efforts.
Federal crash investigators, including the FAA and NTSB, are examining what happened, according to the AP.
Wildfires can threaten much more than buildings. Smoke can worsen asthma and other breathing problems, especially for children, older adults, and outdoor workers. Ranchers and rural residents may also face losses tied to livestock, grazing land, fencing, and interrupted business activity.
Worsening extreme weather disasters are endangering lives and livelihoods by making already risky events harder to control. Hotter, drier, and windier conditions can help fires grow faster, putting firefighters in more dangerous situations and increasing the odds of damage to homes, public health, and local economies.
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Southern New Mexico remained under a red flag warning Monday, with forecast wind speeds of 20 to 30 miles per hour, the kind of conditions that can rapidly push flames into new areas.
Fire crews are continuing a large, multiagency response, though officials say the landscape is limiting what they can do directly on the fire line. Instead of attacking the flames head-on in the most rugged sections, teams are focusing on containment strategies and trying to steer the fire away from vulnerable areas.
The crash itself is also under formal investigation, with federal agencies working to determine what happened before dawn Thursday and how the tragedy unfolded.
"Our hearts remain with the families and loved ones navigating an unimaginable loss," Matt Goertz, the vice president of Trans Aero MedEvac, said.
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