Questions raised after controlled burn near Las Vegas, N.M., goes out of control

Given that history, it’s always big news when a prescribed burn turns into a wildfire, said Tom Ribe, a longtime public advocate and author of a book that retells the Cerro Grande Fire with a critical eye about what went wrong.

Ribe said he’s reluctant to criticize forest managers in this situation because he doesn’t want to discourage them from what’s otherwise a healthy practice.

Prescribed burns are tricky because they must be done when forest debris is dry enough for the flames to consume an ample amount, Ribe said. Sometimes fall and winter are too damp, so forest managers opt for the spring, when the debris is drier but also when New Mexico is windy, he said.

“It definitely is risky this time of year,” Ribe said.