Sometimes, fighting fire with fire can backfire. The US Forest Service learned this the hard way when their prescribed burn in New Mexico resulted in a devastating wildfire. The Santa Fe New Mexican reports that the Forest Service has officially taken responsibility for the Cerro Pelado wildfire, which was sparked by their own controlled burn. This mea culpa comes in the form of a 230-page report.
According to KOAT, the Cerro Pelado fire was a holdover fire, meaning it smoldered under the snow after the prescribed burn, undetectable until it erupted. This fire burned over 45,000 acres in April and May of 2022, coming dangerously close to reaching Los Alamos.
Unfortunately, the Cerro Pelado fire was not the only incident of its kind. The Forest Service has also been blamed for the 2022 Calf Canyon and Hermits Peak fires, both of which started from controlled burns and went out of control. These fires had devastating consequences, scorching through 341,000 acres and destroying around 500 homes.
All three fires occurred in the Santa Fe National Forest, leading to widespread criticism. Senator Martin Heinrich expressed his disappointment at the “enormous loss” suffered by the state, while Senator Ben Ray Luján was even more scathing, calling the Forest Service’s actions “extremely reckless.” He insisted that steps must be taken to prevent such incidents in the future, emphasizing the need for better technology to detect and prevent mishaps.
It is clear that the Forest Service needs to learn from these mistakes and take necessary precautions to avoid similar disasters in the future.
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