The South Fork Fire was a wildfire in New Mexico that burned 17,569 acres (7,110 ha) before being declared 99% contained as of July 15, 2024.

[4] The fire began on June 17 near the town of Ruidoso and grew very rapidly, surpassing 15,000 acres burned by the following day and destroying at least 1400 houses and structures.

[7] The South Fork Fire was first reported near Ruidoso near the Mescalaro Apache Reservation on June 17, 2024, at approximately 9:07 AM MDT.

[5] Extreme fire behavior occurred across the South Fork on June 18, with crowning observed.

[13] On June 17, 2024, at 7 PM MDT, just under 10 hours after the fire had begun, the entire town of Ruidoso, New Mexico was ordered to evacuate.