New Mexico (WBAP/KLIF) – The largest wild fire to impact the State of New Mexico is still burning in the Snte Fe National Forest, and now the US Forest Service has admitted to causing two fires that converged into what’s been dubbed the Calf Canyon-Hermits Peak Fire.
Around 314,000 acres and over 750 structures have been torched, displacing thousands of people.
Forest Service investigators determined that the Calf Canyon Fire was caused by a “sleeper fire” from a burn pile on federal land that was ignited in January but was never fully extinguished. The fire about 48% contained.
New Mexico’s governor tweeted after getting the news on Friday:
In a press release, the officials with the US Forest Service said the cause of the Calf Canyon Fire was confirmed on the heels of Forest Service Chief Randy Moore’s announcement of a pause in the use of prescribed fire on National Forest System lands, a decision the agency announced on Friday, May 20, 2022.
This temporary pause will help the Forest Service understand what happened in relation to recent prescribed fire escapes in New Mexico and elsewhere. It will also ensure the prescribed burn program nationwide is anchored in the most contemporary science, policies, practices and decision-making processes, and that employees, partners and communities have the support they need to continue using this critical tool to confront the wildfire crisis.
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