SANTA FE, NM (AP) – Two fires that merged to create the largest forest fire in New Mexico’s history have been linked to planned burns set by U.S. forest managers as preventative measures, they announced Friday. federal researchers.
The findings shift the responsibility more directly to the U.S. Forest Service for initiating a natural disaster that has destroyed at least 330 homes as flames ravaged nearly 500 square miles (1,300 square miles) of pine forests and high-altitude meadows. The forest fire has also displaced thousands of residents of rural villages with Spanish colonial roots and high rates of poverty, while causing incalculable environmental damage.
Approximately 3,000 firefighters, along with falling planes and helicopters, continue to fight the fire as it approaches mountain resorts and Native American communities. Firefighting costs already exceed $ 132 million, up $ 5 million a day.
Firefighters and law enforcement provided a cautious but hopeful report on Friday night, with fire behavior analyst Stewart Turner noting that conditions for the so-called “red flag” must be monitored ( warm, dry weather with strong winds) from Saturday.
“Weather is a big concern for us,” Turner acknowledged, saying that even a wandering pineapple rolling down a slope and crossing a control line could spread the flames. “The red flag warning is a great message for tomorrow.”
He said dry conditions are expected until Tuesday, but that from Wednesday there will be humidity and even storms.
Deputy Teresa Leger Fernández described a growing sense of outrage as the fire causes further evacuations of families and livestock. Fear of flames is giving way to concern about erosion and mudslides in places where overheated fire penetrates the ground and roots.
“The destruction caused by these two fires is immeasurable and will be felt for generations to come,” said Leger Fernandez, a sponsor of a bill that would reimburse residents and businesses on fire.
The Forest Service has not yet released the detailed planning documents for the originally planned burns that could indicate whether the fire protocols have been followed.
Scientists and forest managers are struggling to develop new tools to predict the behavior of predicted fires amid climate change and a lasting drought in the American West. Intentionally established flames, known as prescribed burns, aim to limit the buildup of wood and undergrowth that, if left unattended, can fuel extremely hot and destructive forest fires.
The Biden administration announced a $ 50 billion plan in January to prevent catastrophic forest fires that would double the planned use of fire and logging to reduce trees and other vegetation that serve as bait in high-risk areas. . Prescribed burns are often used in wild areas that are too large to lose weight by hand or machine.
The two fires east of Santa Fe joined in April to form the massive fire at the southern end of the Rocky Mountains, in the Sangre de Cristo mountain range.
One of the fires broke out earlier on April 6, when a planned burning, carried out by firefighters to clear small trees and bushes, was declared out of control.
On Friday, investigators said they had traced the source of the second fire to the remnants of a planned winter fire that remained dormant for several snowstorms only to erupt again last month.
Investigators said the prescribed “battery burn” began in January in Gallinas Canyon, in the Santa Fe National Forest on the outskirts of Las Vegas, New Mexico, and ended in the last days of that month. On April 9, a fire was again reported in the same vicinity and escaped control 10 days later amid dry, warm and windy conditions, Forest Service investigators found.
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham in a statement described the results of the investigation as a “first step for the federal government to take full responsibility” for the New Mexico forest fire. He highlighted his pending request to President Joe Biden to order the Federal Emergency Management Administration to pay 100% of the costs associated with a wide range of recovery efforts.
Forest Service chief Randy Moore last week announced a 90-day break and a review of protocols for planned fires that limit the buildup of flammable vegetation. He cited extreme fire danger and unfavorable weather and did not specifically link the review to New Mexico fires.
“It will also ensure that the nationwide prescribed burns program is anchored in the latest science, policies, practices and decision-making processes, and that employees, partners and communities have the support they need to continue to use this critical tool to tackle the forest fire crisis, “the agency said in a statement on Friday.
Moore said the prescribed fires go as planned in more than 99% of cases. Notable exceptions include the 2000 Cerro Grande fire that ravaged Los Alamos national security facilities and residential neighborhoods.
So-called battery burns can often include remnants of wild land collected for months or even years. Forest managers cut down trees and gather debris in mounds, preferring to burn forest fuels in the winter, when planned burns are easier to control.
In January, workers in the Santa Fe National Forest began burning a series of batteries in an area of 1.5 square miles, after warning the public of possible smoke hazards.
___
Attanasio is a member of the Associated Press / Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a national non-profit service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on poorly covered topics. Follow Attanasio on Twitter.