List of missing residents shrinks as New Mexico village seeks recovery from wildfires WSB-TV Channel 2 [Video]

The number of residents still unaccounted for has been shrinking significantly after thousands of people fled their homes as two fast-moving wildfires approached their village in southern New Mexico, Ruidoso Mayor Lynn Crawford said Tuesday.

Search and rescue crews have cleared more properties in the areas of Ruidoso, the mountain community hardest hit by the flames, and village officials and volunteers from the American Red Cross have been working through social media to list all those found to be “safe.”

Just a few people remained on the list Tuesday as unaccounted for. They include those authorities have yet to make contact with and who have not been heard from by family and friends.

Crawford said during his regular radio address that he hoped to get the list down to zero.

“We feel good that we’re getting that number down … but we have to be sure,” he said.

About 1,000 …