5,000 under evacuation orders as wildfires rage

(AP) – Evacuation orders for close to 5,000 people are still in place as firefighters battle blazes in several western states.

A wind-fueled wildfire has ripped through the mountain community of Ruidoso, New Mexico. The flames have destroyed more than 200 homes and killed two people since the wildfire broke out Tuesday.

Authorities said they suspect the fire was sparked by a downed power line.

Elsewhere in the U.S., crews have been battling large fires this week in Texas, Oklahoma and Colorado, where a new blaze forced evacuations

Friday along the Rocky Mountain’s eastern front near Lyons about 18 miles north of Boulder, Colorado.