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A bushfire in northern New Mexico that destroyed at least 330 homes and displaced thousands was caused by a burning planned by the U.S. Forest Service, federal fire investigators said on Friday.
The Calf Canyon fire escaped containment lines and combined with the Hermits Peak fire, which was also caused by an out-of-control planned burning, creating the largest wildfire in New Mexico history.
Combined Calf Canyon/Hermits Peak fire has burned and threatens more than 312,000 acres remote mountain villages and forcing thousands to evacuate, sometimes repeatedly over the past two months.
As of Friday morning, the fire was under control by 47 percent. The National Wildfire Coordination Group said. He warned that the Memorial Day holiday weekend could present more challenges for firefighters, due to increased traffic and recreational activities that can cause fires in dry, hot weather. Firefighters warned about the use of campfires and wood stoves, among other things.
Planned burns or projected fires are important wildfire management tools that burn vegetation to limit potential fuel for such fires. It’s rare for them to get out of control, officials said.
Forest Service inspectors said The Calf Canyon fire emerged from a dormant “stack burn” from January to April, when smoke was reported from the burn area that ended on January 29.
Investigators said crews monitored the 1.5-acre fire to make sure there were no signs of flame or heat around its edges. On April 19 – 10 days after the smoke was reported – the fire flared up again and escaped containment lines.
On April 22, strong winds caused the fire to spread and merge with the Hermits Peak fire. The Forest Service said in April it was also caused by an escaped prescription burn. The Forest Service did not specify how either fire lost control.
Santa Fe National Forest supervisor Debbie Cress said: in a statement He said the agency is “100 percent focused on suppressing these fires.”
“Our commitment is to manage the public lands entrusted to us by increasing forest resilience to the many stressors they face, including larger, hotter bushfires, historic drought levels, rising temperatures and insects and diseases,” said Ms Cress.
In response to fire investigators’ findings, New Mexico governor Michelle Lujan Grisham said the federal government should examine fire management practices and how it takes climate change into account.
“This is the first step towards the federal government taking full responsibility for the largest wildfire in state history that destroyed hundreds of homes, displaced tens of thousands of New Mexicans, and cost state and local governments millions of dollars,” he said. an idiom.
In the western United States, wildfires are burning more frequently and more intensely, and wildfire seasons are getting longer, shrinking the environment. windows to perform the prescribed burns. Recent research has suggested that heat and dryness associated with anthropogenic global warming are the main causes of the increase in larger and more powerful wildfires.
Lisa Dale, a lecturer at the Columbia School of Climate, said that predicted burns are the best tools available to reduce the long-term risk from wildfires. They clear vegetation that would foment an undesirable fire and recognize that forests depend on fire to be healthy.
Dr. “I hope this event does not lead to long-term policy changes that will continue to limit our ability to use this tool,” Dale said.
He said climate change is making it harder to use projected fires because fire seasons have increased from about three months to seven to eight months. The increasing intensity of the fires also made it difficult for fire managers to respond.
Forest Service chief, Randy Moore said last week that the agency will pause the use of projected fires on the agency’s lands.
Mr Moore said during the pause the agency will conduct a 90-day review of its protocols and practices for projected fires. The pause coincides with the time of year when planned burns are less frequent. More than 90 percent of the fires the agency plans happen between September and May.
Mr Moore said the Forest Service inspects an average of 4,500 prescription fires each year, and that “in 99.84 percent of cases, predicted fires go as planned.”
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