The FBI on Saturday offered a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to an arrest and conviction in connection with the deadly wildfires in New Mexico.
The federal agency, which said it is still working to identify the cause of the South Fork Fire and Salt Fire, suggested one person may be responsible for the blaze, which started June 17. The reward includes help finding a “person or persons responsible for starting the fires.”
The South Fork fire is 7% contained, while the Salt fire is only 7% contained, according to the latest information from the National Interagency Fire Center. An estimated 24,226 acres have burned and an estimated 1,400 structures have been lost to the fires, according to a state wildfire dashboard.
FBI
The state has been dealing with more than just fires this past week; New Mexico also experienced a dust storm and catastrophic flooding. It’s been a “great week” here, New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham said on Face the Nation on Sunday.
Wildfires consume vegetation and leave behind fire scars: areas covered in soot, ash and charred stumps and stems. Weather experts explained to CBS News last year that there are areas upstream and downhill burns are very sensitive to flash floods.
There have been several confirmed emergency rescues after flash flooding, Grisham said earlier in a briefing. The National Weather Service said Saturday that the risk of flash flooding would remain in the coming days.
President Biden issued a disaster declaration on Thursday due to the wildfires in New Mexico. The declaration released funding for recovery efforts.
Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Deanne Criswell was on the scene in Ruidoso on Saturday, days after residents evacuated. She said on social media that communities there “have our support for as long as it takes to recover.”
New Mexico State Police reported Wednesday that it had confirmed two fire-related deaths in Ruidoso.
So far this year, 19,444 wildfires have burned 2,161,787 acres, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.
