Cooler Temps and Rain Could Help Corral Blazes That Forced Thousands to Flee New Mexico Village

Cooler Temps and Rain Could Help Corral Blazes That Forced Thousands to Flee New Mexico Village
Smoke from a wildfire rises over the mountains of Ruidoso, N.M., on June 18, 2024. Andres Leighton/AP Photo
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ROSWELL, N.M.—Cooler weather—and the chance of rain—could bring some relief this week to firefighters battling blazes in southern New Mexico that killed one person, damaged hundreds of structures, and forced thousands to evacuate.

Strong wind pushed the larger of two wildfires into the mountain village of Ruidoso, forcing residents to flee immediately with little notice. Weather patterns are expected to shift Wednesday with moisture from a tropical wave in the Gulf of Mexico, said Joshua Schroeder of the National Weather Service in Albuquerque.