From Reports

Fire grew to 15 acres Wednesday

A fire off Fence Canyon Road on the Mescalero Apache Reservation near Ruidoso was detected at 10:18 a.m., Wednesday.

Dubbed the Rock Crusher Fire, the estimated size of the human-caused blaze was 15 acres, according to Erica Enjady, supervisory forester with the Bureau of Indian Affairs Mescalero Agency Branch of Forestry.

Smoke from the Rock Crusher Fire is visible from several locations on the reservation and in Ruidoso. Firefighters from the BIA Mescalero Agency and the Mescalero Apache Tribe are assigned to the incident and are engaged in full suppression tactics, Enjady said.

The fire started burning in an open grassy meadow and grew to burning the understory of the Ponderosa Pine forest. Resources on scene include four Type-6 engines, one Type 5 engine, one water tender and two single engine air tankers, Enjady said. Additional resources ordered included a bulldozer and heavy air tanker

The spread potential was labeled as moderate and fire officials are utilizing air drops of slurry to quickly stop fire growth, Enjady said.

No structures are threatened by the fire.

No details were available on how the fire was ignited, other than to say it was human-caused.