By Tom Zimmerman

Extreme fire intensity and rapid rates of spread characterized the beginning of the 2000 fire season, one that would become unprecedented in the history of wildland fire management in the United States. Drier-than-normal winters and summers of normal to above-normal temperatures and below-normal precipitation over the past two to three years created the severe fire conditions.

The season began in May with the Cerro Grande fire, which occurred as a result of an escaped prescribed fire in Bandelier National Monument, New Mexico. It threatened and impacted high-value resources, including property and developments in the park and Santa Fe National Forest, at Los Alamos National Laboratory, in the towns of Los Alamos and White Rock, and in Santa Clara Pueblo. Losses were extreme and 235 structures were destroyed. A board of inquiry convened by the National Park Service to draw conclusions about this fire and its management had not completed its activities by year’s end.

Wildland fire activity escalated dramatically in the Southwest and rapidly progressed northward in late May and June. Demands for fire fighting and emergency rehabilitation increased in mid-June and continued into July because of Cerro Grande and the number and size of fires burning in Colorado, Utah, and Nevada. The timing and completion of rehabilitation were critical to mitigate potential adverse impacts to ecosystems, such as erosion, from the eventual wet season. By the end of July, fire activity rose to an unparalleled level in the northern Great Basin and northern Rocky Mountains.

“Fire behavior and growth routinely exceeded initial attack capability."

Fire behavior and growth routinely exceeded initial attack capability. Scores of fires ignited daily, taxing the ability of the wildland fire management agencies to control the blazes quickly. When August arrived, needs for management teams, crews, engines, and aircraft markedly exceeded the nation’s total resources. As the need to protect life and property increased, large fires could not be staffed adequately. The situation was comparable to or even exceeded the historic 1910 fire season in Idaho and Montana.

The number of wildland fires in 2000, though not the greatest on record, was 90,821 for all wildland fire management agencies. Of these, 886 occurred on lands of the national park system and burned 114,578 acres (46,404 hectares); nearly one-fourth of all units in the national park system (92) reported a fire. In addition to suppressing fires the National Park Service managed 131 wildland fires for resource benefits on 49,253 acres (19,947 hectares). More importantly, in proportion to the magnitude of the fire activity, the safety record during this season was possibly the best ever.

This extreme fire season prompted several actions to strengthen wildland fire management capability. After the Cerro Grande fire, the Secretary of the Interior formed a team to review the applicability and implementation of the 1995 Federal Wildland Fire Management Policy and to recommend improvements. During the season a new level of international cooperation developed as firefighters and equipment were contributed by Canada, Mexico, New Zealand, and Australia to aid efforts in the western United States. Also, President Clinton and Congress initiated a plan to dramatically increase fire-fighting capabilities of federal agencies, manage hazardous fuels in the wildland-urban interface, and provide greater support to cooperating rural fire organizations.

In response to the President’s proposal, called the National Fire Plan, the National Park Service will increase its preparedness in 2001 by adding new firefighters, helicopter contracts, helitack crews, and other resources. Through an infusion of funds it will also improve fuels management in areas of risk in the urban-wildland interface and complete emergency and long-term rehabilitation of burned areas. Finally, it will provide assistance to rural fire protection organizations located near units of the national park system in order to increase personal safety and fire-fighting capability. Other federal agencies will be responding in similar fashion.