Heinrich Statement On Cause Of Calf Canyon Fire

WASHINGTON (May 27, 2022) – U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, issued the following statement in response to the U.S. Forest Service’s finding that the Calf Canyon Fire on the Pecos/Las Vegas Ranger District of the Santa Fe National Forest was caused by a pile burn holdover from January that remained dormant under the surface through three winter snow events before reemerging and reigniting in mid-April. The Calf Canyon Fire later merged with the Hermits Peak Fire, which had been caused by an escaped prescribed fire.

"These record-breaking wildfires have displaced thousands from their homes and continue to take a costly toll on our forests and communities. New Mexicans are exhausted, frustrated, and want answers. It is critical for the U.S. Forest Service to take full responsibility for its decisions and provide the public with transparency about its actions. Releasing these findings is a first step in that direction."

“There is no doubt that the warming climate is fueling the extremely dry and windy conditions that have made our wildfire seasons so much more dangerous and New Mexico’s forests more vulnerable to these fires. In the face of this new climate reality, we will need every tool available in order to reduce fuel loads and the chances of catastrophic wildfire behavior. But it is also painfully clear that what may have served us well a decade or two ago will have to evolve in these challenging conditions. It is time for the Forest Service to update all their prescriptions and management tools to account for a windier, dryer reality in order to prevent this kind of disaster from reoccurring."

"I will continue to secure important investments to make our communities whole from this disaster, support our wildland firefighters, and strengthen critical forest and watershed restoration work.”