NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – Wildfire season is putting many New Mexico’s small towns on high alert, not only because of the potential destruction those fires can cause but also the loss of tourism during a pivotal season for business. “This definitely hurts business up here,” said Inn at Lake Roberts owner Lauren Gueswel.
It’s a story New Mexicans have heard far too often: wildfires creeping towards town at the start of tourist season, creating a ghost town. “I’m not quite sure how we’ll recover,” said Gueswel.
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Gueswel said the Trout Fire came right up to Lake Roberts, north of Silver City, the home of her inn. While the fire is slowing down, some areas around the lake are still under evacuation. “We right away started cancelling the immediate reservations, of course, we didn’t know where the fire would go and how long it would last,” said Gueswel.
Gueswel said cancellations have cost her around $10,000, which typically helps the inn get through the slow season. “Considering we only have seven units, that’s a big hit,” said Gueswel.
While Gueswel said the fire threat is subsiding, her books don’t reflect that.
“The calendar pretty much emptied out because of this, and so even folks that were planning on coming up for 4th of July weekend, which is usually full, and campgrounds are full, and it’s pretty active up here. It has completely emptied out,” said Gueswel.
The inn isn’t in the clear just yet, as the entire area now gets ready for burn scar flooding. “Up here it can rain really heavy a half a mile away and come down one of the washes and it’s not happening where your standing so yeah sometimes a flash flood could happen when it’s not really raining where you are,” said Gueswel. “We’re all sandbagged and ready if it gets worse, but yeah, we’re definitely fearful of the flooding.”
Gueswel said that despite it all, the area will recover. “All the trees are going to survive, it will be beautiful again as soon as we get a little rain,” said Gueswel.
Southwest New Mexico also dealt with the Black Fire in 2022, which turned into one of the largest wildfires in New Mexico’s history, burning more than 325,000 acres between Silver City and Truth or Consequences.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
