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New Mexico Wildfire Kills 2 People, Destroys Homes

Fire burns along a hillside in the Village of Ruidoso, N.M., on Wednesday, April 13, 2022. Officials say a wildfire has burned about 150 structures, including homes, in the New Mexico town of Ruidoso. (Alexander Meditz via AP)
Fire burns along a hillside in the Village of Ruidoso, N.M., on Wednesday, April 13, 2022. Officials say a wildfire has burned about 150 structures, including homes, in the New Mexico town of Ruidoso. (Alexander Meditz via AP)
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS (SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN and PAUL DAVENPORT)
Updated on

(AP) -- A wildfire that has burned more than 200 homes on the edge of a mountain community in the southern part of New Mexico and killed two people was caused when a power line was toppled by strong winds, according to state authorities.

Crews worked Thursday to restore power to parts of the village. The lack of electricity also has affected the school district’s servers, email system and website. Firefighters used a break in what had been a steady stream of relentless gusts to make headway against the deadly blaze.