FBI offers up to $10,000 reward for information about cause of deadly New Mexico wildfires
PBS NewsHourJUN 25 2024
FBI Investigating New Mexico Wildfires, Offers Reward
Above: A firefighting helicopter departs toward the fire after taking on water to drop over the Hermits Peak/Calf Canyon Fire on June 2, 2022 near Las Vegas, New Mexico. Image copyright: Mario Tama/Staff/Getty Images News via Getty Images
The Facts
The FBI has offered a $10K reward to those who can provide information leading to the arrests and convictions of individuals responsible for starting recent wildfires in New Mexico.
Authorities are looking to identify the cause of the South Fork and the Salt fires, which both began on June 17. The agency believes the blazes may have been human-caused.
The fires have killed two people, destroyed over 1.4K structures including homes, and forced thousands to evacuate. The fires have burned 26 square miles (67 sq km) and 12 square miles (31 sq km)respectively. Full containment of the blazes is not expected until mid-July.
The Spin
Narrative A
This disastrous wildfire that killed two people and caused significant property damage, was likely caused by a human. The person or persons responsible for this tragedy should be found and held accountable for the destruction they caused. Hopefully, this reward will incentivize anyone with information to come forward.
Narrative B
New Mexico has been experiencing a particularly dry and windy last few months, and it's not impossible that this tragic disaster was caused naturally. New Mexico has been pummeled by an onslaught of weather stress lately ranging from severe drought to tropical storms to flash floods and golfball-sized hail.
Metaculus Prediction
The Controversies
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