"US Forest Service Takes Responsibility for Devastating New Mexico Wildfire"

The US Forest Service has admitted that a prescribed burn it conducted started a major wildfire in New Mexico in 2022. The Cerro Pelado fire burned over 60 square miles and came close to reaching the city of Los Alamos and a national security lab. The fire was initially traced back to a burn of forest debris commissioned by the Forest Service, which smoldered undetected under wet snow for months. The revelation has sparked criticism from New Mexico political leaders, who have raised concerns about prescribed burns as a method for clearing forest debris. The Forest Service has halted prescribed burn operations and is now using thermal devices and drones to monitor pile burns.