Officials of the U.S. Forest Service on Friday warned that massive drought conditions paired with hot weather spells, extreme wind and unpredictable atmospheric circumstances have resulted in the raging fires that continue to be rampant across New Mexico.

In a press conference held on May 20, the USFS announced a temporary halt of prescribed fire operations across the nation to lower any further risk amid the Hermits Peak Calf Canyon fire, a disaster accidentally sparked by the agency last month, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Forest Service Chief Randy Moore revealed in a statement that the halt has been imposed “because of the current extreme wildfire risk conditions in the field…while we conduct a 90-day review of protocols, decision support tools, and practices ahead of planned operations this fall.”

Moore ordered a protocol review of 90 days before the resumption of operations scheduled for this fall. 

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“Lessons learned and any resulting program improvements will be in place prior to resuming prescribed burning,” Moore said.

In an email to employees, Moore wrote, “I’m sure you all have seen the stories in the news about recent prescribed burn escapes. These, as well as isolated incidents on other national forests in recent years, have made it imperative that we pause to review our processes. That’s why I am temporarily halting all prescribed burns on National Forest System lands and creating a review team consisting of representatives from the wildland fire and research community.”

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Still raging out of control, the Hermits Peak Calf Canyon fire has spread over 300,000 acres of land, destroying 1,500 properties and displacing thousands of people from their homes. 

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USFS’ move aims to put an end to a practice that many forest experts and biologists view as vital to lower extreme levels of fuel in forest areas after over 100 years of fire suppression and decades of a ban on logging in New Mexico’s case. 

However, they are also distressed over the possible devastating consequences if prescribed fire is misused.