The Forest Service has released its report on the origin of the Cerro Pelado fire in New Mexico's Santa Fe National Forest in April 2022. The cause of the fire that burned 46,000 acres was a prescribed burn, according to the report.
“Our investigation has confirmed that the Cerro Pelado Fire on the Jemez Ranger District of the Santa Fe National Forest was caused by a holdover fire from the Pino West Piles Prescribed Fire, a debris pile burn," Michiko Martin, a Forest Service Southwestern Regional forester, said in a July 24 news release.
Martin described a holdover fire as "a fire that smolders undetectably" in the news release.
"In this case, despite being covered by wet snow, this holdover fire remained dormant for considerable time with no visible sign of smoke or heat," Martin said in the release, adding that the investigation further demonstrates the severity of the effects of historic drought and extreme environmental conditions on the Santa Fe National Forest.
The Cerro Pelado fire was the third fire in New Mexico in 2022 that was started by an escaped prescribed burn, the Santa Fe New Mexican reported July 24. Prescribed burns were also identified as the cause of the Calf Canyon and the Hermits Peak fires, according to the report. The two fires ultimately merged to become the largest wildfire in the state's history, according to the report.
New Mexico's U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich (D), a member of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, issued a statement July 24 on the Forest Service report.
“New Mexico suffered enormous loss during last year’s wildfire season," Heinrich said in the statement. "It is frustrating and deeply concerning to learn now that the Cerro Pelado Fire was also caused by an escaped prescribed fire."
Heinrich said the Forest Service "must urgently respond to" how climate change is making forests more vulnerable to wildfire when it decides on whether to do a prescribed burn.
"We cannot catch up to this reality if it takes nearly a year to even make the findings on the Cerro Pelado Fire public," Heinrich said in his statement.
“As the Forest Service does the necessary work of updating its modeling and use of prescribed fires, it must also prioritize rebuilding the public’s trust," Heinrich said in the statement. "This will require more transparency and much more concerted and authentic engagement with New Mexicans than the Forest Service has shown up to this point.”
The Forest Service's Martin acknowledged the Cerro Pelado fire "deeply affected our communities" in the agency's report. He said that the Forest Service implemented a 90-day national pause on prescribed burns because of the number of escaped prescribed fires in 2022. He said the Southwestern Region was now following all recommendations in the National Prescribed Fire Program Review, including the monitoring of burn piles with handheld thermal devices and heat-detecting drones.
“We are committed to transparency and dialogue with the community, and sharing the results of this investigation is a critical part of that work," Martin said in the release. "The Forest Service’s next step is to conduct a thorough internal declared wildfire review, which will determine the lessons learned and actions we can take to help conduct prescribed fires more safely and reduce the risk of escapes."
"The findings of the internal review will also be shared once it is complete, in support of the Forest Service’s work to improve the prescribed fire program," Martin said in the report. "The learnings are critical to the Forest Service’s ability to continue protecting communities and addressing the ongoing wildfire crisis.”