Heinrich questions USDA secretary about Silver City Dispatch Center, as Iron Fire burns in Gila

This story was originally published at Source New Mexico, a NMPBS partner.

By Patrick Lohmann, Source New Mexico

U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-NM) questioned the nation’s agriculture secretary Wednesday about the potential closure of a key wildfire dispatch center in the Gila National Forest that remains on a list of lease cancellations the so-called Department of Government Efficiency announced earlier this year.

The Silver City Dispatch Center handles communications and resource orders, among other duties, to ensure small wildfire starts in the fire-prone Gila National Forest do not burn out of control. It’s housed in the Gila National Forest’s 29,000-square-foot supervisor’s office in Silver City, an office whose lease could be canceled in the name of federal cost-cutting measures.

Congressional staffers and Forest Service employees have raised alarm about the potential closure, particularly in the remote Gila, because it’s not clear where else in the area would be suitable.

Heinrich opened his questioning yesterday during a Senate Appropriations subcommittee meeting by asking USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins about the center. His office previously told Source New Mexico that Heinrich had received “assurances” the office would remain open, but that official word would have to come from the federal General Services Administration, which holds the leases.

“In our conversations, you assured me that you would seek to keep this dispatch center open, that you would designate it ‘mission critical,’” Heinrich said to Rollins. “Talk to me about what you are doing to make good on that promise.”

Rollins said her agency has been “in conversation with” the GSA regarding the center, but did not provide any status updates.

“We agree that this is important and, especially as wildfire season is heating up, ensuring that we are operationally ready at every turn in your state and in other states that are highly affected by that,” she said. “So we remain focused on that, and if you hear something different, please call me.”

A GSA spokesperson Thursday referred comment back to the USDA about the status of the lease, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The spokesperson also said the administration is “reviewing all options to optimize the federal footprint and building utilization.”

The GSA spokesperson, while not mentioning the dispatch center lease directly, also said the administration is “actively managing lease contracts,” which allows it to work with agencies on their longer-term needs and possibly negotiate better rent prices.

Heinrich, in his question to Rollins, cited the ongoing Iron Fire in the Gila. That fire ignited Sunday afternoon and has burned, according to the latest figures, 822 acres. Dispatchers coordinated the response of more than 180 personnel to the fire, including two helicopters, two engines and two Hotshot teams.

As of Thursday, the fire is 10% contained with reduced smoke activity. Investigators have determined lightning caused the fire, and crews are focused on mopping up hot spots and strengthening containment lines.

The fire ignited in a remote area within the 2012 Whitewater Baldy Fire burn scar and is burning in grass, as well as heavy dead and downed fuel and timber, according to an update from the Gila National Forest.

The fire occurs in an area where snowpack is far below normal, including some areas in Southwestern New Mexico where it is 0% of the median snowpack that accumulated there between 1991 and 2020.

According to the May national wildfire outlook from the National Interagency Fire Center, citing drought and other factors, all of Southwestern New Mexico should expect above-normal fire conditions. The outlook for much of the rest of the state has improved to normal, however, according to the outlook.

In addition to the dangerous conditions and threatened closure of the dispatch center, more than 25 people who work in the Gila National Forest were fired earlier this year as part of federal cost-cutting measures. It’s not clear how many of them returned to work due to federal orders or how many are on administrative leave.

This story was originally published at Source New Mexico, a NMPBS partner.