U.S. forest chief calls for a pause of prescribed burns

Federal officials are warning that expanding drought conditions coupled with hot-and-dry weather, extreme wind and unstable atmospheric conditions have led to explosive fire behavior in the southwestern U.S., where large fires continued their march across New Mexico on Friday.

Crews also battled blazes in Texas and Colorado, where forecasters issued red flag warnings due to elevated fire danger.

U.S. Forest Service Chief Randy Moore cited the extreme conditions Friday, when announcing a pause on prescribed fire operations on all national forest lands, while his agency conducts a 90-day review of protocols, decision-making tools and practices ahead of planned operations this fall.

“Our primary goal in engaging prescribed fires and wildfires is to ensure the safety of the communities involved,” Moore said in a statement.