NM Governor tours fire area; promises state support

Gov. Susana Martinez visited the Whitewater-Baldy Fire Incident Command Post here on Thursday to tour the area and get an assessment on what is now the largest wildfire in the state's history. The fire grew to more than 190,000 acres on Thursday and is now 5 percent contained. It has cost about $9 million to date. It's always important to come out to these fires, said Martinez during a media briefing after meeting with officials. To make sure that the people in the community are receiving good, accurate information and are getting it on a consistent basis. During the briefing, Martinez spoke about fire crews' priorities, which included protecting the nearby communities of Mogollon, Glenwood and Willow Creek with continued burnout operations and structure protection, as well as about crews' strategies for dealing with the low humidity and wind that has been plaguing firefighting efforts. The New Mexico State Police have joined the effort, assigning eight uniformed officers to help provide 24-hour response for the next seven days to support federal, state, county, and local assets and citizens in the fire area. They will assist with security patrols, traffic control, evacuations, and calls for service as needed or requested by the Forest Service and other agencies and provide law enforcement presence in Mogollon, high visibility patrols and security in and around the fire operation area, security to evacuated areas and traffic control as needed. They will be working in concert with the Catron County Sheriff s Department...more