Sam Gibbons: “one of the worst wildfires in history rages continually out of control in New Mexico today and so far has burned over…”

“one of the worst wildfires in history rages continually out of control in New Mexico today and so far has burned over 10,000 acres of land in that State. And it is the National Park Service who is to blame. Thousands of residents have been evicted, hundreds of homes have been destroyed or damaged and the lives of these families threatened. Yet all of this devastation and upheaval could have been prevented if the National Park Service had not blatantly ignored key information. The National Weather Service informed the Park Service hours before a controlled burn was to begin that weather conditions were actually a blueprint for spreading a fire. But in spite of this warning, the fire was started, anyway. Our heartfelt sympathies go out to all those families who have lost everything as a result of this man-made disaster and our deepest appreciation goes out to the firefighters now risking their lives battling a wildfire which should never have occurred. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the negligence and incompetence of the National Park Service, an agency supposed to be responsible for protecting our national land.”