Kirtland fire caused by battle simulator

Device that sparked 100-acre fire imitates incoming artillery fire

A fire that spread across Kirtland Air Force Base at the beginning of March was caused by a device used to simulate battlefield conditions during a training exercise, officials said Tuesday.

The fire that burned March 4 and 5 ignited on the east side of the base on a Combat Arms Training and Maintenance (CATAM) range.

Base investigators concluded a ground burst simulator (GBS), which imitates incoming artillery fire, sparked the blaze that eventually burned around 100 acres of piñon, juniper, grass and sage.

“This is the first GBS-initiated fire that I’ve encountered in my career,” said Kirtland Fire Department Battalion Chief Steve Remenar, who was the first incident commander on the scene and a member of the review team.

The unit that was training attempted to extinguish the flames but the wind and dry conditions made them

impossible to control.

As a result of the incident, Remenar said the base has implemented stricter policies around training.

The previous policy stated at least five extinguishers must be on hand for training. The language has been clarified to require five water extinguishers, which are often more effective in fighting wildfires than the dry chemical extinguishers found in many structures.

Remenar said GBS devices must now be placed in holes or metal containers and the radius of cleared earth around the simulator has been increased.

The changes come just in time for a fire season that is expected to produce more and larger fires.

“We are anticipating this could be a bad year,” Remenar said.