By Susan Montoya Bryan
The Associated Press
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Visitors are returning to Carlsbad Caverns National Park in southeast New Mexico, but gone are the postcard-like vistas along its main highway.
A fast-moving wildfire reduced many of the spiny cactus pads and leggy ocotillo plants that lined the canyon to ash.
The fire started Monday and scorched more than 30,400 acres in four days, including more than 8,200 acres inside the park. It shut down the popular tourist destination for three days.
Crews bolstered lines and conducted back-burn operations to protect the park’s visitor center and employee housing, along with the cave’s natural entrance.
They had the blaze 90 percent contained by the end of the week.
Firefighters continued to mop up and watch for hot spots Friday as visitors returned and made their way along the highway.