RUIDOSO, N.M. — Federal investigators say the Salt Fire was human-caused, along with more than a dozen other fires near Ruidoso in a six-week period.

Federal investigators said special agents with the FBI began investigating these fires in early May. They said the investigation intensified on around June 18 when the Salt Fire sparked and rapidly burned 7,000 acres.

The Bureau of Land Management, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, the Bureau of Indian Affairs Office of Justice Services and the U.S. Forest Service joined the investigation. They identified at least 16 separate human-caused fires, sparked from May 3 to June 18 in a 25 square-mile area.

“Who would do this to their own people? How could you do this to your own people?” said Thora Padilla, president of Mescalero Apache Tribe. 

Among them was the Salt Fire. Documents reveal that fire started about two hours after authorities reported the South Fork Fire.

Padilla is trying to wrap her head around this major update in the Salt Fire investigation. An investigation of the Salt Fire and these other fires points to a couple whom the FBI says could be the culprit of those fires. While authorities haven’t filed charges yet, investigators say there is probable cause based on the evidence they have.

“We did request early on a fire investigator. I mean, like when we were in the single digits of fires that had occurred, that right away we did worry about that, and it took all of this time to actually get investigators here,” Padilla said. 

Padilla says the news is bittersweet. 

“It’s good to hear, but it’s still troubling to hear that it may have been tribal members. And so, and we were prepared for that, but still it’s a troubling thing to hear,” said Padilla. 

The documents say one of the persons claims to be a wildland firefighter. 

“That part, too, is very troubling, you know, that we would have people that are trained as wildland firefighters, that might be doing these kind of things. I don’t even know how to respond to that,” said Padilla. 

The documents say agents linked the persons of interest to at least six fires so far. A search warrant shows investigators seized a pair of Vans shoes that matched linked one person to the fire scenes. They reportedly found shoe prints with the Vans waffle tread at the fires.

According to investigators, witnesses also described seeing a man and a woman in a dark-colored Jeep at the various fires. They say it matched the description of a Jeep that the couple owned.

Padilla says now she wants justice. 

“I have a hard time with people that do things and think that there are no consequences. There’s always consequences for your actions, you know, and at this level of what’s happened. We can’t just let it lie,” said Padilla. 

Padillla says right now the tribe is just trying to pick up the pieces after the fires and the continuing threat of flooding. 

A high priority right now is trying to get federal and state relief funds in place. 

Again, authorities haven’t filed charges yet. Wildland fire investigators noted the Salt Fire took resources from the South Fork Fire.

Two people died and over 1,400 structures burned in Ruidoso because of the South Fork Fire. Investigators determined lightning caused that fire.

MORE: Deadly Ruidoso fires progressing toward full containment; 25,508 total acres burned