New Mexico
Evacuations underway in Timberon as Oakmont Fire grows to 100 acres
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
A wildfire erupted on Oakmont Road in Timberon Friday, May 3 forcing the evacuation of local neighborhoods as firefighters continue to attempt to contain the blaze.
The wildfire, dubbed the Oakmont Fire, was discovered at approximately 12:28 p.m., according to a report by the New Mexico Forestry Division.
Since then evacuations have been ordered in the area of Sacramento Drive and Paradise Valley Drive. Those evacuated are being provided shelter at Cloudcroft High School located at 10 Swallow place in Cloudcroft.
Otero County opened its fairgrounds at 401 Fairgrounds Road in Alamogordo for animals and livestock to be evacuated to. Circle Cross Ranch at 1282 Sacramento Drive is also accepting animals in need of evacuation.
Here’s what we know about the blaze.
Wildfire erupts in Sacramento Mountains
Timberon is within the Sacramento Mountains and within Otero County limits. There cause of the ignition is unknown.
The fire is burning pinon, juniper and pine fuels within a populated neighborhood.
As of 8:45 p.m. the Oakmont Fire has reached approximately 100 acres and is 0% contained, according to a news release.
The fire was reported to be exhibiting “torching behavior” meaning it has moved from the ground up to crowns of trees.
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Road to Timberon close as firefighters attempt to contain the blaze
“All roads in and out of Timberon are currently restricted with no estimated time of opening,” George Ducker, communications coordinator for the New Mexico Forestry Division, said in the release.
Officials have asked locals to refrain from calling 911 unless it is an emergency.
Firefighters are reportedly attempting to suppress the fire using air support, a tactic that officials said has proven effective in slowing the fire.
A Type three Incident Management Team has been ordered to take command. A Type three incident management team consists of 10 to 20 people in different areas of the fire handling major and complex incidents within the community.
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Otero County has released resources such as local fire department and law enforcement to help with efforts to contain the blaze expected to last until Saturday morning.
“Crews are responding from Forestry Division, the US Forest Service, Otero County, and local volunteer fire departments. These include large air tanker and helicopter support, and the Smokey Bear and Sacramento Hotshot Crews,” Ducker said.
There will be increased activity in the area as firefighters and equipment will be relocating as needed. Ultimately, full containment is not expected until Monday, May 6 as winds may pick up over the weekend.
“West/southwest wind 12-17 mph, decreasing to 6 to 11 miles per hour after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 24 mph. Tomorrow’s high near 73 degrees. North wind 7 to 16 mph becoming south in the morning. Gusts as high as 23 mph,” according to the news release.
The public can continue to follow updates on the fire at the New Mexico Forestry Division’s X account or Facebook page.
Juan Corral can be reached at JCorral@gannett.com or on twitter at @Juan36Corr.
New Mexico
Grants cancels Christmas parade due to shootings
GRANTS, N.M. – The City of Grants is canceling this year’s annual Christmas light parade, citing the safety of the public and their own officers.
Dozens of floats were supposed to roll down Santa Fe Avenue on Saturday night, but Grants police are holding off until next year after three incidents where someone shot at law enforcement officers.
“It was definitely a difficult decision, but due to the incident that took place on December 8, where law enforcement was shot at in the area of Santa Fe Avenue, we made that decision to protect the citizens of Grants,” says Grants Police Chief Maxine Monte.
She says a New Mexico State Police officer was shot at while making a traffic stop. The officer walked away uninjured, but this was too much for the chief.
“We’ve had three different incidents where law enforcement was shot at. One was May of 2025, the other one was August of 2025, and then the recent event of December 8 of 2025,” says Monte.
It’s not a risk the chief wants to take, and points out people would be standing exactly where the last shooting happened.
“We have a lot of citizens that attend our parade, and our main concern was that they were out in the open in the middle of the night, and in the same area that our latest shooting took place.”
Grant residents will be able to see the floats during the day on Saturday. But even some daylight isn’t convincing some residents.
“I’ll be staying home,” said Amy Brigdon. “There’s too many people in the world that want to see bad things happen to other people. I’m not one of them.”
Police still don’t have a suspect for this week’s attempted shooting. Anyone with information is asked to get in touch with the Grants Police Department.
New Mexico
Colorado wolf rereleased in Grand County after crossing into New Mexico
Colorado Parks and Wildlife rereleased a wolf into Grand County this week after it had traveled into New Mexico, according to a news release.
The New Mexico Department of Game and Fish captured gray wolf 2403 and returned the animal to Colorado.
Colorado wildlife officials decided to release the wolf in Grand County yesterday because of the proximity to “an unpaired female gray wolf,” nearby prey populations and distance from livestock, according to the release.
“Gray wolf 2403 has been returned to Colorado and released in a location where it can best contribute to CPW’s efforts to establish a self-sustaining wolf population while concurrently attempting to minimize potential wolf-related livestock conflicts,” said acting director of CPW Laura Clellan, according to the release.
The wolf was once a member of the Copper Creek pack but departed from it this fall.
A memorandum of understanding between Colorado and Arizona, New Mexico and Utah requires that any gray wolves that leave Colorado and enter those states be returned. That was created in part to maintain the integrity of a Mexican wolf recovery program.
“We recognized during the planning process that we would need to have consideration and plans to protect the genetic integrity of the Mexican wolf recovery program, while also establishing a gray wolf population in Colorado,” said CPW’s Wolf Conservation Program Manager Eric Odell, according to the release.
New Mexico
New Mexico man sentenced to nearly 20 years for distributing meth
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – A judge sentenced a New Mexico man to nearly 20 years in prison for distributing meth and having guns in his possession to use while doing so.
Court records indicate 43-year-old David Amaya sold meth from a trailer on his parents’ property in Anthony throughout July and August 2024. Agents executed a search warrant Aug. 22 and found 1.18 kilograms of meth, two firearms and ammunition in the trailer and a makeshift bathroom.
Amaya pleaded guilty to possession of meth with intent to distribute it. A judge sentenced him to 235 months in prison.
Once he is out, Amaya will face five years of supervised release.
The FBI’s Albuquerque Field Office and the Las Cruces Metro Narcotics Task Force investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kirk Williams prosecuted it.
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