US review traces massive New Mexico fire to planned burns
2 years, 6 months ago

US review traces massive New Mexico fire to planned burns

Associated Press  

SANTA FE, N.M. — Two fires that merged to create the largest wildfire in New Mexico history have both been traced to planned burns set by U.S. forest managers as preventative measures, federal investigators announced Friday. Fire and law enforcement officials offered a cautious but hopeful Friday night status report, with fire behavior analyst Stewart Turner noting they need to watch the so-called “red flag” conditions — warm, dry weather with high winds — starting Saturday. The Forest Service has not yet released detailed planning documents for the original planned burns that might indicate whether fire protocols were followed. Investigators said the prescribed “pile burn” was initiated in January at Gallinas Canyon in the Santa Fe National Forest outside Las Vegas, New Mexico, and concluded in the final days of that month.

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History of this topic

Crews turn a corner with California’s largest wildfire as massive heat wave brings new danger
5 months, 3 weeks ago

Crews turn a corner with California’s largest wildfire as massive heat wave brings new danger

LA Times  

Embers glow as the Basin fire burns recently in the Sierra National Forest in Fresno County. California firefighters battling a blaze that has ripped through more than 13,000 acres of the Sierra National Forest just north of the Giant Sequoia National Monument and close to several hydroelectric facilities finally began to gain control Monday afternoon. As a result of the …

Rain helps 1,000 firefighters slow big New Mexico blazes as Biden approves disaster relief
6 months ago

Rain helps 1,000 firefighters slow big New Mexico blazes as Biden approves disaster relief

Associated Press  

SANTA FE, N.M. — More than 1,000 firefighters in New Mexico took advantage of a break in the weather on Thursday to get the upper hand — for now — on a pair of wildfires that have killed two people, destroyed hundreds of homes and forced thousands to flee. This satellite image released by Maxar Technologies shows the overview of …

Texas firefighters closer to extinguishing Panhandle wildfires
9 months, 1 week ago

Texas firefighters closer to extinguishing Panhandle wildfires

Raw Story  

"Texas firefighters closer to extinguishing Panhandle wildfires" was first published by The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan media organization that informs Texans — and engages with them — about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues. LUBBOCK — Texas firefighters are gaining more control over the remaining wildfires in the Panhandle, more than two weeks after the infernos first engulfed …

Severe bushfire risk increased by hazard reduction burns, report finds
10 months, 3 weeks ago

Severe bushfire risk increased by hazard reduction burns, report finds

ABC  

Traditional fire management strategies such as hazard reduction burns, logging, and the thinning of undergrowth have increased the flammability of forests, new research has found. Key points: The lead author of the report says fire management techniques need to be reconsidered The researchers say interfering with nature is increasing the risk of severe fires The RFS says the report does …

After a mild fire year, Southern California crews look ahead to 2024
1 year ago

After a mild fire year, Southern California crews look ahead to 2024

LA Times  

On a cool, cloudy morning last week, Albert Rivas approached a pile of dry wood in the Angeles National Forest and set it on fire. By morning’s end, he and more than a dozen other Forest Service firefighters had burned about 17 acres’ worth of woody material around the Lower San Antonio Fire Station at the base of Mt. “It …

Fire, other ravages jeopardize California’s prized forests
1 year, 1 month ago

Fire, other ravages jeopardize California’s prized forests

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “If you can find a …

Crews balance firefighting and protecting a fragile ecosystem in containing California-Nevada blaze
1 year, 4 months ago

Crews balance firefighting and protecting a fragile ecosystem in containing California-Nevada blaze

Associated Press  

MOJAVE NATIONAL PRESERVE, Calif. — Firefighters battling a massive blaze in California’s Mojave National Preserve on Tuesday faced the difficult task of stopping the fire without bulldozers and other heavy equipment that could damage the region’s famous Joshua trees and other sensitive plants. While it’s one of the largest national park units outside of Alaska and Hawaii, the vast majority …

US Forest Service burn started wildfire that nearly reached Los Alamos, New Mexico, agency says
1 year, 5 months ago

US Forest Service burn started wildfire that nearly reached Los Alamos, New Mexico, agency says

Associated Press  

SANTA FE, N.M. — The U.S. Forest Service’s own prescribed burn started a sprawling 2022 wildfire that nearly reached Los Alamos, New Mexico, the agency acknowledged Monday in a report published after a lengthy investigation. The Cerro Pelado fire burned in dry, windy conditions across more than 60 square miles and crept within a few miles of the city of …

U.S. Forest Service burn started wildfire that nearly reached Los Alamos, N.M., agency says
1 year, 5 months ago

U.S. Forest Service burn started wildfire that nearly reached Los Alamos, N.M., agency says

LA Times  

The U.S. Forest Service says its own prescribed burn started a 2022 wildfire that nearly burned into Los Alamos, N.M. The Cerro Pelado fire burned across more than 60 square miles and crept within a few miles of the city of Los Alamos and its companion U.S. national security lab. Investigations traced the outbreak of the wildfire in April 2022 …

Officials warn of wildfire risk as Southwest US dries out
1 year, 8 months ago

Officials warn of wildfire risk as Southwest US dries out

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Please try again later {{ …

Wiping out the green
1 year, 9 months ago

Wiping out the green

The Hindu  

Kerala is in the throes of yet another ‘fire season’ that has seen large tracts of forests go up in flames. Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests Rajesh Ravindran, who has been coordinating disaster mitigation efforts, points out that almost all forest fire incidents are man-made. In addition to the carelessly discarded butts of cigarettes and beedis, some of the …

Feds send $930 million to curb ‘crisis’ of US West wildfires
1 year, 11 months ago

Feds send $930 million to curb ‘crisis’ of US West wildfires

Associated Press  

— The U.S. is directing $930 million toward reducing wildfire dangers in 10 western states by clearing trees and underbrush from national forests, the Biden administration announced Thursday, as officials struggle to protect communities from destructive infernos being made worse by climate change. You’re seeing entire neighborhoods devastated.” Vilsack said the projects announced so far will help reduce wildfire risk …

Feds send $930 million to curb 'crisis' of US West wildfires
1 year, 11 months ago

Feds send $930 million to curb 'crisis' of US West wildfires

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “We need to have a …

Forest Service resumes prescribed fire program, but some fear new rules will delay projects
2 years, 3 months ago

Forest Service resumes prescribed fire program, but some fear new rules will delay projects

LA Times  

A firefighter battles the Fairview fire near Hemet recently. “But in actual practice, it’s pretty much going to shut burning down at any level significant to what needs to take place, at least in the Forest Service jurisdictions.” Prescribed burning refers to the practice of setting land alight under optimal conditions to ensure it burns at a relatively low intensity. …

Record-setting wildfire in New Mexico declared contained
2 years, 4 months ago

Record-setting wildfire in New Mexico declared contained

Associated Press  

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — More than four grueling months and $300 million later, the federal government has declared the largest wildfire in New Mexico’s recorded history 100% contained, a notable milestone but just another step in what local residents and officials say will be a long journey toward recovery. Others have complained that federal officials don’t understand rural life in northern …

US takes emergency action to save sequoias from wildfires
2 years, 5 months ago

US takes emergency action to save sequoias from wildfires

Associated Press  

LOS ANGELES — The U.S. Forest Service announced Friday it’s taking emergency action to save giant sequoias by speeding up projects that could start within weeks to clear underbrush to protect the world’s largest trees from the increasing threat of wildfires. “Without urgent action, wildfires could eliminate countless more iconic giant sequoias,” Forest Service Chief Randy Moore said in a …

US takes emergency action to save sequoias from wildfires
2 years, 5 months ago

US takes emergency action to save sequoias from wildfires

Associated Press  

LOS ANGELES — The U.S. Forest Service announced Friday it’s taking emergency action to save giant sequoias by speeding up projects that could start within weeks to clear underbrush to protect the world’s largest trees from the increasing threat of wildfires. “Without urgent action, wildfires could eliminate countless more iconic giant sequoias,” Forest Service Chief Randy Moore said in a …

Ecologists say federal wildfire plans are dangerously out of step with climate change
2 years, 5 months ago

Ecologists say federal wildfire plans are dangerously out of step with climate change

NPR  

Ecologists say federal wildfire plans are dangerously out of step with climate change Enlarge this image toggle caption Mario Tama/Getty Images Mario Tama/Getty Images The federal Government Accountability Office is launching an investigation after U.S. Forest Service-controlled burns that escaped caused the largest wildfire ever recorded in New Mexico. Sponsor Message "A lot of the planning tools that fire managers …

Massive New Mexico blaze blamed on miscalculations, errors
2 years, 6 months ago

Massive New Mexico blaze blamed on miscalculations, errors

Associated Press  

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — U.S. Forest Service employees made multiple miscalculations, used inaccurate models and underestimated how dry conditions were in the Southwest, causing a planned burn to reduce the threat of wildfires to explode into the largest blaze in New Mexico’s recorded history, the agency said Tuesday. “The devastating impact of this fire to the communities and livelihoods of those …

New Mexico residents sue for information on massive wildfire
2 years, 6 months ago

New Mexico residents sue for information on massive wildfire

Associated Press  

SANTA FE, N.M. — Dozens of residents in a small New Mexico community impacted by massive wildfires that merged in April are suing the U.S. Forest Service over what they called a failure to provide information about the government’s role in starting the blazes. The Forest Service has acknowledged that two prescribed burns it set to clear out brush and …

New Mexico wildfire scar burn has forest officials worried
2 years, 6 months ago

New Mexico wildfire scar burn has forest officials worried

Associated Press  

SANTA FE, N.M. — As more than 3,000 firefighters in northern New Mexico continued to battle the nation’s largest active wildfire Sunday, federal forest officials worried about future flash floods, landslides and destructive ash from the burn scar. A hazard assessment from the Forest Service and U.S. Geological Survey shows that some burned areas on the New Mexico fire could …

US forest service admits to starting New Mexico fire nearly the size of greater London
2 years, 6 months ago

US forest service admits to starting New Mexico fire nearly the size of greater London

The Independent  

One of the two blazes in New Mexico that combined to become the largest wildfire in the state was started by the US Forest Service, the agency has admitted. USFS said on Friday that the Calf Canyon fire started from a planned burn it set over the winter, but turned into a “sleeper fire,” that continued to smolder unnoticed. Then …

Cooler weather helps firefighters battling New Mexico wildfire
2 years, 7 months ago

Cooler weather helps firefighters battling New Mexico wildfire

LA Times  

Firefighters in New Mexico who are battling the nation’s largest active wildfire said Monday that cooler weather helped them prevent the blaze from growing as nearly 3,000 firefighters worked to strengthen and increase their firebreaks. On Monday, the U.S. Forest Service released a survey of vegetation and soil damage across 118 square miles of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains that …

Extreme fire threats prompt US suspension of planned burns
2 years, 7 months ago

Extreme fire threats prompt US suspension of planned burns

Associated Press  

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — U.S. Forest Service Chief Randy Moore cited extreme fire danger and unfavorable weather conditions Friday in announcing a suspension of all planned fire burning operations to clear brush and small trees on all national forest lands while his agency conducts a review of protocols and practices ahead of planned operations this fall. His decision came as federal …

Tens of thousands have evacuated their New Mexico homes as massive wildfire grows
2 years, 7 months ago

Tens of thousands have evacuated their New Mexico homes as massive wildfire grows

NPR  

Tens of thousands have evacuated their New Mexico homes as massive wildfire grows The biggest wildfire in the U.S. has been threatening homes and people in New Mexico for more than a month now. FORDHAM: That's Santa Fe National Forest ranger Steven Romero at an online meeting apologizing for letting a prescribed burn get out of control. But Ray Sanchez, …

Photos: US firefighters battle huge wildfires in New Mexico
2 years, 7 months ago

Photos: US firefighters battle huge wildfires in New Mexico

Al Jazeera  

Firefighters slowed the advance of huge wildfires in the US state of New Mexico as strong winds relented on Wednesday, while President Joe Biden approved a disaster declaration that brings new financial resources to remote stretches of the state devastated by fire since early April. US Representative Teresa Leger Fernandez announced the presidential disaster declaration on Wednesday during an evening …

New Mexico wildfire prompts call for US disaster declaration
2 years, 7 months ago

New Mexico wildfire prompts call for US disaster declaration

Al Jazeera  

The governor of New Mexico has asked President Joe Biden to declare a disaster as firefighters scrambled to keep the largest blaze burning in the United States from destroying more homes in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. “I have 6,000 people evacuated, I have families who don’t know what the next day looks like, I have families who are …

Hundreds flee homes in US southwest as massive wildfire advances
2 years, 7 months ago

Hundreds flee homes in US southwest as massive wildfire advances

Al Jazeera  

The Calf Canyon Wildfire east of Santa Fe, New Mexico, scorches a swath of land, threatens mountain communities. Wind-whipped flames raced across pine-covered mountainsides in the US state of New Mexico on Monday, forcing residents to flee their homes and leading to the evacuation of the state’s psychiatric hospital. Several hundred households in the northwestern corner of Las Vegas were …

Emergency declaration for multiple wildfires in New Mexico
2 years, 8 months ago

Emergency declaration for multiple wildfires in New Mexico

Associated Press  

SANTA FE, N.M. — New Mexico Gov. One wildfire in northern New Mexico that started April 6 merged with a newer fire Saturday to form the largest blaze in the state, leading to widespread evacuations in Mora and San Miguel counties. An uncontained wind-driven wildfire in northern New Mexico that began April 17 had charred 81 square miles of ponderosa …

Fires hit Southwest, New Mexico’s season ‘dangerously early’
2 years, 8 months ago

Fires hit Southwest, New Mexico’s season ‘dangerously early’

Associated Press  

New Mexico faces a long and potentially devastating wildfire season, Gov. Hundreds of structures were lost in a growing number of wind-driven blazes across drought-stricken New Mexico, Lujan Grisham said Saturday. New Mexico as of Saturday had the most major wildfires burning of any state, though neighboring Arizona also had large fires that included one that burned 30 homes near …

US plans $50B wildfire fight where forests meet civilization
2 years, 11 months ago

US plans $50B wildfire fight where forests meet civilization

Associated Press  

— The Biden administration said Tuesday it will significantly expand efforts to stave off catastrophic wildfires that have torched areas of the U.S. West by more aggressively thinning forests around “hot spots” where nature and neighborhoods collide. “The time to act is now if we want to ultimately over time change the trajectory of these fires.” Specific projects weren’t immediately …

Impact of forest thinning on wildfires creates divisions
3 years, 2 months ago

Impact of forest thinning on wildfires creates divisions

Associated Press  

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Firefighters and numerous studies credit intensive forest thinning projects with helping save communities like those recently threatened near Lake Tahoe in California and Nevada, but dissent from some environmental advocacy groups is roiling the scientific community. “Not only did tens of thousands of acres of recent thinning, fuel breaks, and other forest management fail to stop or …

As California burns, some ecologists say it’s time to rethink forest management
3 years, 4 months ago

As California burns, some ecologists say it’s time to rethink forest management

LA Times  

As he stood amid the rubble of the town of Greenville, Gov. “The only effective way to protect communities from wildland fire is to focus directly on homes.” Though fuel reduction has been part of Cal Fire and the U.S. Forest Service’s practices for decades, former President Trump helped politicize it when he announced in 2018 that California’s devastating wildfires …

Forest Service changes ‘let it burn’ policy following criticism from western politicians
3 years, 4 months ago

Forest Service changes ‘let it burn’ policy following criticism from western politicians

LA Times  

Facing criticism over its practice of monitoring some fires rather than quickly snuffing them out, the U.S. Forest Service has told its firefighters to halt the policy this year to better prioritize resources and help prevent small blazes from growing into uncontrollable conflagrations. Moore, who took over as head of the agency last month, wrote that the 2021 fire season …

California says federal ‘let it burn’ policy is reckless as wildfires rage out of control
3 years, 4 months ago

California says federal ‘let it burn’ policy is reckless as wildfires rage out of control

LA Times  

A firefighter sprays water while trying to stop the Sugar fire from spreading to neighboring homes in Doyle, Calif., on July 10. “In my jurisdiction, I have been super aggressive in trying to put out small,” said Scott Packwood, Cal Fire’s unit chief for the Lassen-Modoc area, where the Sugar fire eventually crossed from federal to state land. Now we …

Amid clamor to increase prescribed burns, obstacles await
3 years, 6 months ago

Amid clamor to increase prescribed burns, obstacles await

Associated Press  

SALEM, Ore. — In the 1950s, when University of California forestry professor Harold Biswell experimented with prescribed burns in the state’s pine forests, many people thought he was nuts. “I don’t see that we have any option other than to increase the prescribed burns,” said Golden, who is from the Rogue Valley, where wildfires tore into two towns last year. …

Experts To Western States: Time To Finally Fight Wildfires With More Fire
4 years, 1 month ago

Experts To Western States: Time To Finally Fight Wildfires With More Fire

NPR  

Experts To Western States: Time To Finally Fight Wildfires With More Fire Enlarge this image toggle caption Noah Berger/AP Noah Berger/AP Earlier this month California Gov. "It's not something in which incremental, cautious decisions are going to solve the problem," says Malcolm North, an outspoken research scientist with the U.S. Forest Service who has long advocated for more controlled burns. …

Amid devastating US fires, experts urge fire prevention rethink
4 years, 2 months ago

Amid devastating US fires, experts urge fire prevention rethink

Al Jazeera  

Calls grow for state and national prescribed burns strategies to prevent repeat of huge wildfires in Western states. “I am sick of being politicised,” said Lenya Quinn Davidson, University of California Fire adviser, adding the scale of the fires showed the need to change policy towards fire management. “The National Park Service fuels management programme, which includes prescribed fire, continues …

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