New Mexico lawmakers are demanding answers as a prescribed fire started by the U.S. Forest Service has spun out of control into a blazing wildfire.
New Mexico State Sen. Ben Ray Luján recently criticized the U.S. Forest Service for starting the Hermits Peak prescribed fire that grew out of control and merged with the ongoing Calf Canyon fire, a KOB 4 news report said.
"I know that week, where I live, my brother was going to burn the acequias as we were cleaning it, and so sometimes you burn that vegetation off, so you can get a cleaner cut with that shovel,” Luján told KOB 4. “Well, we were told by the local fire department, no burning, there were fire restrictions.
"It makes zero sense to me, and this is also something we have to get to the bottom of. I'm terrified that this is the new normal with wildfire behavior across the West."
The combined fire is now the largest active wildfire in the United States, and New Mexico is seeking additional federal resources to fight the fire as it continues to spread.
Congresswoman Teresa Leger Fernandez is demanding the Forest Service find out how it lost control of the prescribed fire as well as seeking more information on how to prevent controlled burns from getting out of hand in the future.