Area EMTs assist with Ute Park wildfire

Five area EMTs returned to Quay County Tuesday after working a 24 hour shift responding to emergency calls for service in Colfax County where state wide resources continue to battle a wild fire in Ute Park.

Colfax County’s EMS, firefighters and first responder resources have been working overtime with mutual aid from departments from across the state to combat a wildfire at Ute Park that has burned more than 36,000 acres.

With the help of rain fall over the weekend, firefighters were able to contain 23 percent of the blaze.

Cassados said Logan EMTs, Rex Stall, Elena Young, and Brian Cox and Tucumcari EMT Bethany Bishop left at 5 a.m., on Monday to Cimarron where they will work a 24 hour shift, to take the pressure off the Raton EMS service that has been assisting in the coverage of calls.

Cassados said the request for mutual aid came from EMS Region 3 that covers 12 counties in eastern New Mexico including Union, Eddie, Quay and Colfax counties.

The fire began on Thursday near Highway 64 in Ute Park between Eagle Nest and Cimarron. At one point the fire threatened more than 500 structures in Cimarron and more than 200 at Ute Park.

According to the New Mexico State Forestry, a total of 14 non-residential structures have destroyed by the fire.

“During emergencies like this, the state wide shortage of EMTs has an even bigger impact,” Cassados said.