Dramatic Visualization Reveals Shocking Extent of New Mexico's Biggest Wildfire on Record

Controlled burns were the cause, but increasing aridity has upped the odds that any ignition will blow up into a large blaze.

ImaGeo iconImaGeo
By Tom Yulsman
May 30, 2022 7:15 PMMay 30, 2022 7:29 PM
Hermits Peak and Calf Canyon Fire
A screenshot from a simulated flyover of the Hermits Peak and Calf Canyon Fire in New Mexico, based on satellite data acquired on May 13, 2022. Initially sparked by a prescribed burn that got out of control, by May 29, the fire had become the largest in New Mexico history. Please see below for the visualization. (Credit: Copernicus Sentinel data processed by Tom Yulsman)

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A New Mexico wildfire that has burned an area more than one and a half times the size of New York City was initially sparked by prescribed burns lit by the U.S. Forest Service, investigators announced late last week.

The news quickly prompted withering criticism and claims on social media that climate change played no role in what has become New Mexico's largest wildfire on record. A good example is this Tweet from Steve Milloy, a prominent climate science denier: "Biden regime started New Mexico's largest-ever wildfire. Not global warming."

In truth, global warming doesn't spontaneously "start" fires. But whether humans or lightning provide the initial spark, soils and vegetation made drier by a warming climate are more likely to catch fire and result in a large, raging blaze.

That’s not just common sense. Multiple studies support this picture, showing that warmer temperatures and earlier spring snowmelt have spurred significant increases in the size and frequency of wildfires in the western United States.

Almost all of the West now is in drought, and large portions are experiencing extreme to exceptional drought — the two most intense categories. That includes almost all of New Mexico. So it should come as no surprise that any small fire could easily turn into a large, intense one, no matter the cause.

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