Fire rages along a ridgeline east of highway 518 near the Taos County line as firefighters from all over the country converge on Northern New Mexico to battle the Hermit's Peak and Calf Canyon fires on May 13, 2022. (Jim Weber/Santa Fe New Mexican via AP)(AP) — 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. U.S. Forest Service investigators announced Friday they have tracked the source of one of the fires to the remnants of a planned winter fire that lay dormant through snowstorms only to flare up again in April. The other fire was previously traced to a planned burn that escaped control on April 6. The findings shift responsibility more squarely toward the U.S. Forest Service for initiating a natural disaster that has destroyed at least 330 homes.

Source: CNN May 28, 2022 13:06 UTC