New report cites costly decisions during 2006 California wildfire fight
By Brian Melley The Associated Press
FILE – In this Aug. 6, 2016 file photo, members of the California National Guard help load about 5 miles of used wildland fire hose in Palo Colorado Canyon, south of Monterey Calif., during efforts to fight the Soberanes Fire. When a fire burned across Big Sur two years ago and threatened hundreds of homes scattered on the scenic hills, firefighters responded with overwhelming force, attacking flames from the air and ground. The so-called Soberanes Fire burned its way into the record books as the most expensive wildland firefight in U.S. history in what a new report calls "an extreme example of excessive, unaccountable, budget-busting suppression spending that is causing a fiscal crisis in the U.S. Forest Service." (Vern Fisher/The Monterey County Herald via AP)
FILE – In this Aug. 2, 2016, file photo, helicopters fight the Soberanes Fire west of Cachagua, Calif. When a fire burned across Big Sur two years ago and threatened hundreds of homes scattered on the scenic hills, firefighters responded with overwhelming force, attacking flames from the air and ground. The so-called Soberanes Fire burned its way into the record books as the most expensive wildland firefight in U.S. history in what a new report calls "an extreme example of excessive, unaccountable, budget-busting suppression spending that is causing a fiscal crisis in the U.S. Forest Service." (Vern Fisher/The Monterey County Herald via AP, File)
FILE – In this Aug. 13, 2016 file photo, a fire attack helicopter makes a retardant drop during a firing operation on the ridge between Mount Manuel and the Coast Ridge Road while fighting the Soberanes Fire near the village of Big Sur, Calif. The so-called Soberanes Fire burned its way into the record books as the most expensive wildland firefight in U.S. history in what a new report calls "an extreme example of excessive, unaccountable, budget-busting suppression spending that is causing a fiscal crisis in the U.S. Forest Service." (David Royal/The Monterey County Herald via AP, File)
LOS ANGELES — A new report criticizes decisions made to stop a 2016 fire in California’s Big Sur area that became the costliest wildfire fight in U.S. history.
The report released this month by a firefighting group says the U.S. Forest Service spent tens of millions of dollars to fight a fire long after it burned into wilderness and posed little threat to lives or homes.
It cost $262 million to fight the Soberanes Fire that destroyed 57 homes. A bulldozer operator was killed fighting the fire.
The fire burned for nearly three months until October and charred 206 square miles (534 square kilometers).
The report by the Firefighters United for Safety, Ethics, and Ecology says the fire was an example of “excessive, unaccountable, budget busting” efforts to suppress fire at all costs.
The Forest Service says it is committed to reducing costs of fighting big fires.
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