 The investigation concluded that the point of origin and all evidence and data support that lightning sparked the South Fork fire on the Mescalero Apache Reservation that was first reported on June 17th. Despite an aggressive response from multiple agencies, high winds spread the fire to over 15,000 acres within the first 24 hours. The fire has now burned more than 17,000 acres and is nearly 90% contained. The cause of the nearby salt fire remains under investigation.