Government to Offer Answers on Cause of New Mexico Fires
ANDRIA HALL, CNN ANCHOR: New Mexico firefighters may be out of the woods, so to speak. The Los Alamos wildfires that scorched more than 47,000 acres of the state are about 60 percent contained now, but the community is asking why it happened, and today there may be some answers. CNN's Martin Savage now with more.</s>MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In Los Alamos, first came the fire, now comes the heat.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I would not have lost my home had there not been a fire, and I want to see some kind of compensation for my loss.</s>REP. HEATHER WILSON (R), NEW MEXICO: It took away your home, and a lot of other homes too, and you should have that made right.</s>SAVIDGE: Before it can make things right, the federal government is trying to figure out what went wrong, how a controlled burn set by the National Park Service to ease the threat of wildfire, instead triggered the largest wildfire in New Mexico history, destroying over 200 homes and forcing the evacuation of tens of thousands of people.</s>BRUCE BABBITT, INTERIOR SECRETARY: That's the reason for the investigation. See us on May 18th and we'll be ready to discuss it.</s>SAVIDGE: Two days after the fire roared through Los Alamos, Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt announced a probe into its cause, specifically, if the Park Service's plan for the May 4th burn was adequate, and why warnings of high winds by the National Weather Service went unheeded. Roy Weaver, the superintendent of the Bandelier National Monument, where the fire was started, has taken responsibility for the decision to go ahead with the burn. He is currently on a paid leave of absence.</s>BILL ARMSTRONG, FORESTRY EXPERT: Rather than reflecting on who's to blame or why it happened, let's reflect on trying to keep it from happening again.</s>SAVIDGE: In 1998, forestry expert Bill Armstrong warned of the potential for a catastrophic fire in the Los Alamos area within five years. He saw lightning as the most likely cause.</s>ARMSTRONG: You could eliminate people entirely from this landscape and you are not going to eliminate fire.</s>SAVIDGE: Whether the government's probe into the Los Alamos fire makes the same conclusion will be made public later today. (on camera): But for many of those people directly affected by the fire, the government report isn't expected to answer the questions still burning in their minds, such as: Who is going to pay for the massive recovery effort? How much will they pay? And above all, how soon? Martin Savage, CNN, Espanola, New Mexico.