Wildfire damages Civil War-area historical site in New Mexico as campgrounds are evacuated

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A wildfire swept through portions of a Civil War-era fort and historical site in southern New Mexico, forcing the evacuations of campgrounds and a horse ranch, authorities said Monday.

The fire damaged structures at Fort Stanton Historical Site built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s and a gym erected by Germans interned at the site during World War II after their ship sank.

Ground crews, air tankers and helicopters joined efforts to contain a blaze that scorched more than a square mile (3 square kilometers) of terrain at the site and surrounding conservation lands managed by the federal Bureau of Land Management.

Laura Rabon, a spokesperson for a multiagency team responding to the situation, said crews cleared lines of vegetation Monday on the north side of the wildfire and helicopters doused smoldering hot spots with water. The fire was contained along 4% of its boundary.

The blaze at Fort Stanton is about 15 miles (24 kilometers) away from communities at Ruidoso that were ravaged by wildfires last year when several hundred homes and businesses were destroyed. Those fires were followed by devastating flooding and erosion in scorched areas.

Separately in Arizona, more than 500 firefighters and support personnel had largely contained the boundaries of a wildfire northeast of Tuscon, in the Santa Catalina Mountains, that has destroyed five homes in the community of Oracle. Evacuations were rescinded in some residential areas — but not all — on Monday.

Fire activity at Fort Stanton decreased amid mild high temperatures Monday of 75 degrees (24 Celsius) and 10 mph (16 kph) winds. The source of the fire was unknown, with a BLM investigator scheduled to begin work Tuesday.

Horses and a family of four were first evacuated Sunday from a private ranch in the vicinity, but they had been allowed to return.

On Sunday, air tankers dropped fire retardant on the outskirts of the fire in efforts to slow its progress.

Highway 220 was closed near Fort Stanton to ensure access for firefighting crews, as more than 70 people fought the fire. Fort Stanton Historical Site was closed and three nearby camping areas were evacuated.