Fort Stanton is one of the most intact 19th-century military forts in the country.
In southern New Mexico, a wildfire significantly impacted a Civil War-era fort and a historical site, resulting in the evacuation of campgrounds and a horse ranch, officials reported on Monday.
At the Fort Stanton Historical Site, structures constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s and a gym built by German internees after their ship sank during World War II were damaged by the fire.
Efforts to control the wildfire involved ground crews, air tankers, and helicopters working together to contain the blaze, which had burned through over a square mile (3 square kilometers) of land encompassing the site and adjacent conservation areas managed by the 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 Evacuations were rescinded in some residential areas — but not all — on Monday.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.
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