Update on Track Fire at Raton, New Mexico:

RATON, N.M. – Around 200 homes are being threatened by a 24,000-acre fire in the area of Raton Pass, west of Interstate 25.  12 structures charred so far.

At a public meeting on Tuesday afternoon, residents learned that they would not be allowed to go back to their homes until at least Wednesday.

The fire forced the closure of Interstate 25 in Raton Pass in both directions.New Mexico State Police provided new detours around the Track Fire on Tuesday morning:

Northbound Traffic:

From I-25 travel east on US Highway 64 to Capulin, NM
Continue on US Highway 64 to Des Moines, NM
In Des Moines turn north onto NM Highway 325 to Folsom, NM
At Folsom turn right onto NM Highway 456 then continue onto NM Highway 551 to Branson, CO

Southbound Traffic:

From Branson, travel east on NM Highway 551 then NM Highway 456 to Folsom, NM
At Folsom travel south on NM Highway 325 to Capulin, NM
In Capulin turn right (west) on US Highway 64 to Raton, NM

Evacuations were ordered for northern Raton, north of I-25, County Road 72 and Sugarite State Park. The Red Cross set up a shelter at the Raton Convention Center.

Twelve structures, including at least two homes, have been damaged or destroyed, according to the mayor of Raton. The Track Fire actively torched and made runs through heavy vegetation, firefighters said. They said there was some spotting to the north of the fire.

“I would say it looks like a big, old bomb just went off out there in the mountains,” Raton resident Juan Sarinana said.

Crews said fire activity had increased substantially on Monday morning. Air tankers were used in the areas west of Raton with good results, but heavy smoke was still present Monday afternoon.

Power was out to Raton late Monday morning because crews transferred power transmission from a threatened power line.

The fire started on the west side of I-25 Sunday afternoon and jumped to the east side, making a run toward Barlett Mesa and toward Colorado, according to New Mexico Forestry spokesman Dan Ware.

State Forestry; the Raton, Angel Fire, Folsom, and Philmont fire departments; the Red River Fire Chasers and other agencies responded to the fire. In all, 75 fire workers and two air tankers battled the blaze.

Fire officials said the black smoke was either live vegetation or a structure. This fire was not contained, and officials said Monday night that there were fires burning on either side of the I-25, which is why the northbound lanes at the Raton exit remained closed indefinitely.

Fire officials said the black smoke was either live vegetation or a structure. This fire was not contained, and officials said Monday night that there were fires burning on either side of the I-25, which is why the northbound lanes at the Raton exit remained closed indefinitely.

Officials said that Raton was put on high alert because the fire was extremely close to homes, the downtown area and the city’s water supply. The fire damaged the city’s watershed. The mayor is heading there on Tuesday morning to see how bad it is, but he said people in the city don’t have to worry about their water supply at this point.

Update by KOAT News 7 | 2:53 pm MDT June 14, 2011

Living in Albuquerque, New Mexico, I’ve been following the AZ fires closely, and knew it was only a matter of time before they started springing up in New Mexico.  There are several now, but the two biggest are near Carlsbad NM (park is closed), and a large one burning up at Raton NM.  Considering the severe drought we are in, I’m rather surprised it’s taken this long.  Below is the local news update and pictures taken from Raton.

RATON, N.M. – Around 200 homes are being threatened by a 6,000-acre fire in the area of Raton Pass, west of Interstate 25.

The fire has forced the closure of Interstate 25 in Raton Pass in both directions.The northern closure extends all the way to Trinidad, Colo. State Police are diverting traffic east on Highway 64 to Capulin, north through Folsom into Colorado and then west on Highway 160 north of Branson, CO. The image to the left shows one detour route into or out of New Mexico. Expect this route to take approximately 2 hours.

Evacuations have been ordered for northern Raton, north of I-25, County Road 72 and Sugarite State Park. The Red Cross has set up a shelter at the Raton Convention Center. The Red Cross said 80 people spent the night at the shelter Sunday and more are expected on Monday night.

At least two homes have been destroyed.

The Track Fire is actively torching and making runs through heavy vegetation, firefighters said. They said there has been some spotting to the north of the fire.

Since Monday morning, crews said fire activity increased substantially on Monday morning. Air tankers are being used in the areas west of Raton with good results, but heavy smoke is still present.

Power was out to Raton late Monday morning because crews transferred power transmission from a threatened power line. Power should be restored shortly in the area.

The fire started on the west side of Interstate 25 Sunday afternoon and jumped to the east side earlier making a run toward Barlett Mesa and toward Colorado, according to New Mexico Forestry spokesman Dan Ware.

State Forestry, the Raton, Angel Fire, Folsom, Philmont fire departments, the Red River Fire Chasers and other agencies are responding to the fire. In all, 75 fire workers and two air tankers are battling the blaze.

Fire officials said the black smoke could be either live vegetation or a structure. Priority efforts continue to be Raton watershed and residential areas, officials said.

This fire is not contained, and officials said Monday night there are fires burning on either side of the I-25, which is why the northbound lanes at the Raton exit remains closed indefinitely. (From KOAT News)