Live Radio
Trees near Mora, New Mexico stand after being scorched by the Hermits Peak/Calf Canyon Fire, the largest in the state's history. Mario Tama/Getty Images hide caption
Trees near Mora, New Mexico stand after being scorched by the Hermits Peak/Calf Canyon Fire, the largest in the state's history.
Mario Tama/Getty ImagesAfter a prescribed burn became the largest wildfire in New Mexico history earlier this year, the U.S. Forest Service put a ninety day ban on controlled burns.
But while these kinds of burns do carry risk, very few escape, and they are a crucial tool in reducing the risk of catastrophic wildfires. Forest ecologists are worried the ban added to the wildfire risk in areas that desperately need maintenance.
An investigation by CapRadio and the California Newsroom found that proper fire mitigation could have protected the Northern California town of Grizzly Flats from the Caldor Fire last year. CapRadio's Scott Rodd reports on how the U.S. Forest Service failed to execute its own mitigation plan in time, despite recognizing the danger decades ago.
KCRW's Caleigh Wells looked into all of the obstacles that stand in the way of prescribed burns and fire preparation in California's Big Bear Valley, which could be the next disaster.
Email us at
This episode was produced by Elena Burnett. It was edited by Sami Yenigun, Eric Whitney and Jason DeRose. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.
