Top official during massive New Mexico blaze gets new post

By SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN
Associated Press

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The supervisor who was in charge of the Santa Fe National Forest when the federal government sparked what became the largest wildfire in New Mexico’s recorded history has been temporarily assigned to a post in Washington, D.C. Her replacement was named Friday, but some have questioned the timing as the ongoing cost of fighting the fire totals about $275 million. Forest officials said the assignment was in the works before the wildfire began. The blaze is the result of two planned burns that were meant to clear out overgrown and dead vegetation to reduce the threat of catastrophic wildfire. A recent review highlighted multiple missteps by Forest Service employees in planning for the prescribed fires.