White Fire near Ruidoso - photo by Mark Stambaugh

A fire which started at about 1:30 pm Sunday near the Gavilan Canyon Mobile Home Park, has rapidly moved to the north east, and burned over 6000 acres at last report.

The fire is burning in steep, and rough terrain  and has burned east near Ruidoso Downs, across HWY 70 towards Forest Service Road 120.

High winds gusting at over 40 mph, and extremely dry conditions caused the fire advance.

White Fire - Photo by Jessica Snowden

Evacuations were taking place in some areas near the fire, including Billy the Kid Casino, located at the Ruidoso Downs Race Track.  Several structures and out buildings have been destroyed.

Over 250 fire fighters are working on this blaze, and a Type II Incident Management Team has been ordered to manage it later today.

More Ruidoso Fire – News Resources:

For more info on this fire please visit the NM Fire Information web site.

View video from KOB news coverage of the White Fire in Ruidoso.

YouTube Video, from near Ruidoso Downs Race Track – from KRQE

It’s been great having the Univ. of New Mexico Lobo Football team in Ruidoso, for two-a-day workouts, and scrimmages. The team is shown here with an evening workout at the White Mountain Sports Complex.  In the background is the Lodge at Sierra Blanca, where the team has been staying, while a distant thunderstorm near Sierra Blanca Peak keeps the temps cool in Ruidoso.  Go Lobos !

The Ruidoso News reported yesterday that current legislative efforts in Santa Fe, to help Ruidoso Downs Race Track with “tax parity” is  essentially “dead” as currently written.   State lawmakers are in no mood to grant tax concessions to race tracks and casinos – given the $600 million budget gap the state is facing.

It appears that new legislation may be substituted,  whereby local  property tax or gross receipt tax dollars would be used to offset the track’s annual losses.  This option seems to have  support in the Capitol – and within the Senate Finance Committee, where Chairman John Arthur Smith ( D-Deming, NM) has previously opposed the tax parity bill.

Last November, the Ruidoso Downs Racetrack and Casino  applied with the New Mexico Racing Commission to move it’s operations to Las Cruces, should the State Legislature not pass a “tax parity”  bill.

Support for the track is widespread, and well documented, mainly through efforts of the Ruidoso Valley Chamber of Commerce and I would encourage you to visit this web site for more information.

I support the efforts to help our the Ruidoso Downs Race Track stay in Ruidoso Downs.  It is a major contributor to our tourism based economy, provides employment for many, and I am sure the loss of the track would have a significant impact on real estate values in the area.   Everyone who owns a home or business or lives, works or visits  the area should be concerned and I urge you to contact your legislators and get involved.

I’m hopeful that a creative win-win solution will be soon be  implemented, as it’s not good for the community to be in this state of limbo.  This has been going on for 4 years now, and everyone is ready for it to be resolved.  I commend the local leadership, business owners and especially the Ruidoso Chamber of Commerce for all the effort they have put into educating the community and legislators alike.

What do you think?  Do you have a creative solution.  Please post your thoughts below.