Lincoln County is reaching out to part-time residents who had houses and cabins burnt by the Little Bear Fire, encouraging them to clear burn debris from their properties now while disaster relief organizations are still active in the area. Even before the Little Bear Fire was contained, volunteers from Samaritan’s Purse and Baptist Disaster Relief had arrived in Lincoln County with the commitment to help homeowners sift through the ashes and clear burn debris from their properties at no cost to the homeowner. Now well into the recovery effort their hard work is evident and nearly half of all the homes burned in the fire have been loaded up and taken to the landfill.

But many home sites, primarily belonging to part-time residents of Lincoln County, have yet to be cleared. The relief organizations have both pledged to stay as long as there is work to do but they have yet to hear from nearly a third of homeowners who had damage in the fire. Homeowners need to sign up with either organization within the next few days to guarantee that they are put on the work order list. When the Samaritans and the Baptists run out of work to do here in Lincoln County they will be called away to other disaster areas and homeowners will become solely responsible for clearing their own burn debris at their own expense.

The New Mexico Baptist Disaster Relief group is also lending a hand clearing burn debris off of properties where the home was spared from the fire. They are available to cut down burned trees, clear and stack other fire related debris.

The Lincoln County Emergency Operations Center can email or fax an application to homeowners out of the area, 575-258-INFO (4636) and a friend or neighbor can fill out an application in person on the homeowners behalf.

Samaritan’s Purse – at The Church of the Nazarene 575-336-8032

Baptist Disaster Relief - at the First Baptist Church in Ruidoso 575-336-1068

For additional information www.lincolncountyready.com; contact Michele Caskey, 575-336-8604.