Dozens of volunteers from the Red Cross in Arizona have been deployed to New Mexico to help victims of wildfires in the Ruidoso area.
According to the group, the 30 volunteers have helped more than 500 New Mexico residents.
“It's pretty devastating because they lost everything,” said Judy Crook, a nurse from Glendale stationed at a shelter in Roswell. "I think it means a lot."
In Ruidoso, in southern New Mexico, a pair of wildfires killed two people while destroying 25,000 acres.
On Sunday, the National Interagency Fire Center said the South Fork Fire was 31% contained. It also said the Salt Fire was now 7% contained.
A few days ago, both fires had been at zero containment. However, full containment isn’t expected until July 15.
More than 1,000 people are working on putting out the flames and helping those affected including firefighters with the Phoenix Fire Department.
“Our folks from the Arizona Task Force 1 team have [been] busy with their assigned duties of checking door-to-door through the morning and evening,” said a spokesperson with the Phoenix Fire Department.
Ruidoso residents who evacuated will be able to return Monday. However, officials warned many places may not be fully operational.
WE'RE HERE TO HELP
Do you have a concern in your community or a news tip? We want to hear from you!
Email us: share@abc15.com
Jasper Riddle, a Tucson native and University of Arizona graduate, owns Noisy Water Winery in Ruidoso.
He said it’s been a scary situation for the community.
"It just went from five acres to 40 acres to here it goes,” he said.
Riddle said he tried staying back as long as possible to help his family and employees but eventually evacuated.
"There was a point where all I could see was smoke and it was raining ash and burnt embers out of the sky on my home...and at that point, I drove out quick and evacuated with my family."
Riddle said some of his employees lost their homes in the fires but they’re trying to raise money to help them.
According to the Village of Ruidoso, they get about 1.9 million tourists a year.
Riddle said a lot of businesses depend on tourism and hope visitors will return when the time is right.
"Everybody loves this place so much,” he said. “It’s so special to so many people and I think that's a positive, a lot of it still left."
Several groups have created fundraisers to help with the relief efforts, including the Community Foundation of Lincoln County.
