Compensation for New Mexico wildfire victims tops $14 million and is climbing

By SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN
Associated Press

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Federal emergency managers say they’re making more progress in compensating victims of a devastating wildfire sparked last year by the U.S. Forest Service. Congress set aside nearly $4 billion to pay claims resulting from the Hermits Peak/Calf Canyon Fire. The head of the claims office tells The Associated Press on Friday that payouts as of early next week will total more than $14 million and that the office has around $50 million worth of claims that currently are being processed. Some residents and lawmakers have been frustrated by the pace, but officials say they built the program from scratch and that many cases are complex.