Current:Home > FinanceUS Forest Service sued over flooding deaths in the wake of New Mexico’s largest recorded wildfire-InfoLens
US Forest Service sued over flooding deaths in the wake of New Mexico’s largest recorded wildfire
View Date:2024-12-23 14:52:40
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Relatives of three people who died last year in a flash flood stemming from the largest wildfire in New Mexico’s recorded history are suing the U.S. Forest Service.
The wrongful death lawsuit filed earlier this month alleges the Forest Service was negligent in the management of the prescribed burn and also failed to close roads and prevent access to areas at risk for flooding that followed the Hermit’s Peak/Calf Canyon Fire.
The three West Texas residents were staying at a family cabin in northern New Mexico in July 2022 when monsoon rains hit the burn scar near Tecolote Creek. That created a flash flood that swept the three victims to their deaths.
According to the Albuquerque Journal, the lawsuit also contends that the Forest Service failed to provide adequate warnings to the victims about the dangers caused by the wildfire and the dangers of potential flooding in the area.
Neither the Forest Service nor its parent agency, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, has formally responded to the lawsuit so far.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture didn’t provide a settlement offer or denial of claims initially filed in the case earlier this year, according to the lawsuit.
The blaze burned more than 533 square miles (1,380 square kilometers) in San Miguel, Mora and Taos counties. Authorities said an improperly extinguished pile burn operation rekindled and merged with another prescribed fire that went awry, destroying about 900 structures, including several hundred homes. No deaths were reported while the fire raged for months.
Congress set aside nearly $4 billion to compensate victims. FEMA has said its claims office has paid more than $101 million so far for losses, but many families have complained that the federal government is not acknowledging the extent of the damage or the emotional toll the fire has had on families whose ties to the land go back generations.
veryGood! (5367)
Related
- Are banks, post offices, UPS and FedEx open on Veterans Day? Here's what to know
- Dallas doctor convicted of tampering with IV bags linked to co-worker’s death and other emergencies
- House approves bill renewing FISA spy program after GOP upheaval threatened passage
- A Michigan man and his dog are rescued from an inland lake’s icy waters
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Mixed Use
- DNC paid $1.7 million to Biden's lawyers in special counsel probe
- Lenny Kravitz works out in leather pants: See why he's 'one of the last true rockstars'
- 1 dead in small plane crash in northwest Indiana, police say
- All the Ways Megan Fox Hinted at Her Pregnancy With Machine Gun Kelly
- Saddle Up to See Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's Date at Polo Match in Florida
Ranking
- Powerball winning numbers for Nov. 9 drawing: Jackpot rises to $92 million
- Can homeless people be fined for sleeping outside? A rural Oregon city asks the US Supreme Court
- Swimming portion of Olympic triathlon might be impacted by alarming levels of bacteria like E. coli in Seine river
- Coachella 2024: See Kendall Jenner, Emma Roberts and More Celebrities at the Desert Music Festival
- The Daily Money: Mattel's 'Wicked' mistake
- The Daily Money: 'Can you hear me?' Hang up.
- Trump to host rally on Biden’s home turf in northeast Pennsylvania, the last before his trial begins
- 1 dead after shuttle bus crashes at a Honolulu cruise ship terminal
Recommendation
-
Martin Scorsese on the saints, faith in filmmaking and what his next movie might be
-
Arizona Coyotes players told team is relocating to Salt Lake City, reports say
-
Lenny Kravitz works out in leather pants: See why he's 'one of the last true rockstars'
-
Pakistani police search for gunmen who abducted bus passengers and killed 10 in the southwest
-
Chiefs block last-second field goal to save unbeaten record, beat Broncos
-
Kansas governor vetoes ban on gender-affirming care for minors and 2 anti-abortion bills
-
Denver shuts out Boston College 2-0 to win record 10th men's college hockey title
-
The cicadas are coming: Check out a 2024 map of where the two broods will emerge