CA 'Let It Burn' Policy Temporarily Halted Amid Controversy

San Francisco CA

04 August, 2021

8:05 PM

Description

CALIFORNIA — Following criticism from Gov. Gavin Newsom and other leaders from the Western states, the U.S. Forest Service announced this week that it would temporarily halt its protocol of letting smaller blazes burn without interference. Newly appointed U.S. Forest Service Chief Randy Moore announced this year's shift in policy in an email sent to agency staff, according to multiple reports. Last week, the policy was challenged during a meeting with President Joe Biden and governors of the Western states. "There's a culture that too often is wait-and-see. We can't afford that any longer." Newsom said during the meeting, adding that allowing small fires to burn on federal lands was the "elephant in the room." The Tamarack Fire, which ignited on federal lands July 4 and ripped through 68,696 acres, became the centerpiece of the argument. Forest Service officials said they were aware of the lightning-spurred fire as it ignited, but authorities thought the fire would burn itself out. When crews were finally dispatched to fight the fire, it had already burned through more than 23,000 acres the San Francisco Chronicle reported. "This was a fire that burned for over a week unchecked," said Ken Pimlott, retired director of Cal Fire, according to the Los Angeles Times. "Could we reasonably have expected this fire to stay at a quarter-acre for any length of time and not become a conflagration, as it did?" The policy was temporarily halted this week, Moore said in his message to employees, adding that the 2021 fire season was "different from any before," the San Francisco Chronicle reported. The news comes as firefighters gear up for a tougher fight against dozens of wildfires across the Western U.S. as scorching weather and dry winds were expected to hit parts of the state through Thursday, triggering red flag warnings. The expected weather could aggravate California's largest wildfire, the Dixie, burning in Northern California. The fire has torn through 274,139 acres and was 35 percent contained as of Wednesday. "I think we definitely have a few hard days ahead of us," said Shannon Prather with the U.S. Forest Service. This week across the nation, there were at least 97 large, active fires and complexes of multiple fires that have burned nearly 2,919 square miles, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. "Fire weather and the conditions of the fuels across the country continue to challenge wildland fire managers," an agency statement said. In California, at least a dozen fires were burning as of Wednesday, according to multiple fire agencies. The three largest and most concerning fires as of Wednesday were the Dixie Fire in Oroville, Beckworth Complex in the Plumas National Forest (105,670 acres) and the Tamarack Fire, burning in Alpine County (68,696 acres).