Escape from killer New Mexico wildfire was ‘absolute sheer terror,’ says woman who fled the flames

By SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN
Associated Press

With little warning, thousands of people were forced to flee their homes as a pair of wildfires ballooned in a single afternoon. Traffic was bumper to bumper as residents tried to leave the mountain village of Ruidoso on Monday evening. Smoke obscured their view as they inched just a few miles in what seemed like an eternity. Residents are now scattered from Roswell and Alamogordo to Texas and beyond, after a chaotic escape from the billowing smoke and flames. Rain and cooler temperatures are helping firefighters keep the flames in check. Top officials are expected to visit Saturday to survey some of the neighborhoods that were destroyed.