US Forest Service admits controlled burn sparked New Mexico wildfire.

The United States Forest Service Admits Prescribed Burn‌ Caused Devastating ‍Wildfire

The United States ‍Forest Service made a startling admission on Monday, revealing that a prescribed burn authorized by the agency was responsible for the extreme wildfire that ​ravaged New Mexico⁣ in 2022. The admission came in a comprehensive 230-page report, following an extensive investigation into ⁣the Cerro Pelado fire. This destructive fire, which ​began in April 2022, engulfed over 60 square ‍miles of land and came dangerously close⁢ to Los Alamos​ and a U.S. national security lab.

The Impact​ of the Wildfire

Last spring, the Southwest ⁢region was plagued by ‍a devastating wildfire, fueled by severe drought and high temperatures. In New Mexico,‍ the Cerro Pelado fire destroyed at least three homes, leading‍ to multiple⁣ evacuations and school closures. The‌ Forest Service now‍ reveals that the fire originated ‌from a‍ controlled burn that continued to smolder undetected.

“Our investigation has confirmed that the Cerro Pelado Fire on the Jemez‌ Ranger District of the Santa Fe National Forest was caused by a holdover fire from the Pino West Piles Prescribed Fire, a debris pile burn,” stated Forest Service ⁢Southwestern Regional Forester Michiko Martin in a press release. “A holdover fire is⁢ a ‌fire⁢ that smolders⁢ undetectably. In this case, despite being covered by wet snow, this holdover fire remained ​dormant for a considerable time with no visible sign of smoke or ‌heat.”

Martin further emphasized the severe impact of extreme environmental‍ conditions caused by historic drought in 2022, which greatly affected the Santa Fe‌ National Forest. As a result of the escaped prescribed fires in 2022, the ⁢Forest Service has implemented a 90-day halt on prescribed burns and recommended changes to their prescribed fire program.‌ Firefighters now utilize handheld thermal devices and ⁣drones ⁤to detect heat and monitor pile burns.

Backlash and Accountability

The Forest‍ Service’s admission has sparked backlash from lawmakers in New Mexico at both the state and federal levels. Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham expressed her outrage over the ⁢agency’s ‌negligence, stating, “While climate change and extreme‍ drought continue to plague the Southwest, the Forest‍ Service must abandon their ⁣business-as-usual approach to prescribed ‍burns and ⁣forest management in our state. I ⁣am relieved to hear that ⁢the Forest Service will now ⁢use technology to prevent this from occurring in the future.‌ We will continue to hold the federal government accountable⁤ for each of the disastrous fires they caused in our state last summer.”

New Mexico Cabinet Secretary Sarah Cottrell Propst echoed Governor ​Grisham’s ⁢sentiments, accusing the Forest Service of harming New Mexicans and failing to promptly disclose the origin of the Cerro Pelado fire.

At the federal level, Congress ⁣and the Biden administration have taken steps to confront and prevent wildfires, allocating over​ $4 billion in funding and initiating a billion-dollar‍ cleanup of forests filled with dead trees and undergrowth.

Senator Martin Heinrich, who serves on‌ the Appropriations subcommittee for the environment, criticized the Forest Service for the lengthy investigation, ‍stating, “The ⁤warming climate is making our ⁤forests more vulnerable to catastrophic wildfires. That’s a reality that our Forest Service ⁣can and​ must urgently ⁤respond to⁢ when deciding when and how⁣ to do prescribed burns.⁣ We cannot catch up to this reality if it takes nearly a year to even make‍ the findings on the Cerro Pelado Fire public.”

For more information, click here to read the full article‌ from The Washington Examiner.

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