DENVER — At least two people have died in wildfires burning in New Mexico. There are still two fast-moving fires that have burned more than 23,000 acres and destroyed 1,400 structures.
About 150 miles southeast of Albuquerque, thousands of people living in Ruidoso have been forced to evacuate.
One Denver native now living in Ruidoso doesn't know if he'll have a home to return to. Dominick Taylor was vacationing in Denver when the fires started.
"I’m kind of nervous about what it’s going to be like when I get back." he said from his mother's home in the Montbello neighborhood. "They said some places burned that were outside of the burn zone and I’m only a block outside of it."
Taylor moved to Ruidoso about six years ago. On Monday his neighbors texted him about the fire.
"On Monday [one of my neighbors said], 'I just got off of work I’m having a beer on my back patio and ashes are falling on my head' and I just sent him a text that said, 'go now, take nothing,'" Taylor recalled. "I don’t know if we still have a life there or not."
On Thursday afternoon Taylor said the fire zone was about a block away from his home. He said it has stayed that way for the last few days. His biggest concern is the residents that live in the 55+ RV resort near his home. He said he hopes they all made it out safely.
"We’ve become quite close," he said of the people who live there. "And so I’m really worried about Miss Anne and Miss Judy."
Taylor is unsure if his home is still standing but regardless, he said he is lucky.
"If push comes to shove we lost maybe $20,000 - $30,000 worth of stuff maybe - it's not a huge loss considering," he said. "It’d be only stuff. I've got my kids. I feel frazzled but grateful because my family's here. I got my dog. Everybody’s safe."
Taylor hopes to return to his home some time next week. He is renting his house and does have renters insurance but he's working to find out if it will cover any damage his home may possibly have.
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