The Forest Service says it was responsible for the two fires that merged late last month and created the largest fire in New Mexico history.
The agency said Friday that its fire investigators determined the Calf Canyon fire was started by a residual fire, or crossfire, from a federal burn that ended Jan. 29.
Although crews monitored the fire for a couple of days after the burning was completed, the Forest Service said, it remained inactive and survived three winter snow events before it re-ignited and escaped. of containment lines in April and spread “significantly” by a wind event.
The Calf Canyon Fire then merged with the Hermits Peak Fire, which was also started by a prescribed federal burn, to cause the largest fire in New Mexico.
“The pain and suffering of the new Mexicans caused by the actions of the U.S. Forest Service, an agency that claims to be an administrator of our lands, is unfathomable,” New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) said in a statement. press release.
“I am grateful that the United States Forest Service is taking responsibility for the federal actions that led to this terrible crisis.”
The governor said the fire, which is still going on, has destroyed hundreds of homes, cost millions to state and local governments and displaced tens of thousands of residents in the state.
The Forest Service said last week that it would pause prescribed burns on National Forest System lands for 90 days to re-evaluate its policies.
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“The Santa Fe National Forest is 100 percent focused on suppressing these fires with the support of type 1 incident management teams who are fully prepared to handle complex, high-risk situations,” said the forestry supervisor. Santa Fe National Debbie Cress said in a statement Friday. .
“Our commitment is to manage the public lands we are entrusted with by improving the resilience of the forest to the many stressors they face, including the largest and hottest forest fires, historical drought levels, increasing temperatures and insects and diseases “.
Grisham has asked President Biden to order the Federal Emergency Management Agency to pay for all fire-related recovery efforts in the state.