Little Bear Fire Summary Report

In June 2012, immediately after the Little Bear Fire burned outside Ruidoso, New Mexico, a team of researchers interviewed fi re managers, local personnel, and residents to understand perceptions of the event itself, communication, evacuation, and pre-fi re preparedness. Th e intensity of fi re behavior and resulting loss of 242 homes made this a complex fi re with a complex social response. While most of the people we spoke with thought the fi re was managed well despite diffi cult biophysical circumstances, some held the perspective that the fi re could have been extinguished sooner. One of the most agreed-upon successful aspects of the fi re was that everyone was evacuated with no injuries and no lives lost, despite the rapid fi re spread in an area with numerous houses and limited access. Notifying individuals of house loss and getting people back into their neighborhoods in a timely manner were the two issues most frequently identifi ed as areas needing improvement. Interagency and intra-agency communication were universally highly regarded by federal fi re personnel and local emergency responders. Th ese two groups also perceived communication with the public to have been successful. However, members of the public we spoke with thought there were some signifi cant communication issues and wanted certain information sooner and more frequently.