Fort Stanton fire almost 50% contained; cause still being investigated

The Fort Stanton Historic Site is set to reopen Thursday, days after a wildfire destroyed a handful of buildings at the location in southern New Mexico.

No one was reported injured in the Camp Fire that began on Sunday and burned 720 acres as of Tuesday. It was 47% contained, as the fire area received light rain in the afternoon. The cause is still being investigated, incident management team spokesperson Laura Rabon said. Piñon-juniper and grass were the primary fire fuels.

Firefighters on Tuesday removed burned material near the control lines to reduce the chance of it reigniting, she said.

The fire entered a former World War II internment camp, according to a Fort Stanton Historic Site social media post. Two wooden structures built by the Civilian Conservation Corps were destroyed; the ruins of a gymnasium built in 1944 by German internees and the pool structure received smoke damage; and a guardhouse suffered minor damage, New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs spokesperson Greg Gurule said.

A fire line drawn to the northwest of Rio Bonito prevented the fire from spreading to the fort grounds, he said.

“We extend our gratitude to the Lincoln County Office of Emergency Services, State Forestry, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. (Forest Service) , and the roughly 150 firefighters and air crews for their quick and tireless work to protect the site,” Gurule said.

The historic site is slated to reopen at 10 a.m. Thursday, while traffic will resume on N.M. 220 Wednesday morning, according to a Tuesday evening incident management team news release.

Fort Stanton, Rob Jaggers Campground and the Rio Bonito and West Mesa Road dispersed camping areas will remain closed until firefighting efforts have ended. The Bureau of Land Management Roswell District, Lincoln County and the New Mexico Forestry Division are under fire restrictions or a burn ban.