Little Bear fire causes evacuations north of Ruidoso; crosses State Highway 48

A lightning-sparked blaze that jumped its containment lines raced through thick conifer forest in southern New Mexico on Saturday, and fire managers estimated that more than a dozen structures were damaged or destroyed. Spanning only a few acres on Wednesday, the Little Bear fire began to grow Friday as spot fires formed outside established fire lines due to windy conditions. By Saturday morning, about 10,000 acres had been charred. Fire information officers said summer homes and campgrounds in the area about 15 miles north of Ruidoso were evacuated late Friday. There was no immediate word on how many people were evacuated. Two shelters were set up at churches in nearby Ruidoso and Capitan. Officials said in a morning briefing that an estimated 15 to 20 structures have been damaged or destroyed by the fire. They could not say whether the structures were homes, sheds or other buildings since crews haven't had a chance to do a formal damage assessment. The fire was burning in steep, rocky, inaccessible terrain in the White Mountain Wilderness of the Lincoln National Forest, which is home to Smokey Bear, the little black cub that became the nation's symbol of fire prevention decades ago...more