Office of the Secretary

For Immediate Release: May 12, 2000

Contact: John Wright 202/208-6416

Babbitt Announces Investigative Team for
Los Alamos Fire

Fire Investigative Team to report to Interior Secretary by May 18

Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt today announced that Tom Lonnie, Bureau of Land Management Deputy State Director for Montana will serve as the Team Leader for the Fire Investigative Team that will investigate the fire near Bandelier National Monument in Los Alamos, New Mexico.

"There are many unanswered questions," said Babbitt. "The investigative team that we have formed will help us to understand what went wrong and to determine if our prescribed fire policy is sound and the established procedures are adequate."

The team includes Jim Loach, National Park Service Associate Midwest Regional Director for Operations, Tom L. Thompson, U.S. Forest Service Deputy Regional Director Rocky Mountain Region, and team of 22 other members with expertise in fire management. The team includes other representatives of BLM, NPS, USFS, and the State Forestry Department of New Mexico, Santa Clara Pueblo, San IIdefonso Pueblo, the National Weather Service, Department of Energy, and one representative each from Los Alamos, Santa Fe, and Rio Arriba Counties.

The Team will gather and analyze information to determine if the Prescribed Fire Plan was adequate and if the Plan was followed. The Team will make recommendations for immediate and long-term actions to prevent similar occurrences from happening.

The Fire Investigative Team will complete work by May 18, 2000. The findings of the Team will be reported to an Independent Review Board appointed by Secretary Babbitt. The makeup of the Review Board will include federal and non-federal members.

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