Asia border wildfires are almost suspected to be started by stowaways

Asia border wildfires are nearly set by stowaways (Alberta Times) There have been many wildfires in the Arizona border area in the past five years, and the cause has always been unknown. According to...

Wildfires on the Arizona border are almost suspected to have been started by smugglers (Alberta Times) There have been many wildfires in the Arizona border area in the past five years. The cause has been unknown. According to the latest study by the Congressional Audit Office (GAO), investigators believe that 30 of them are related to illegal immigrants smuggling across the border. The GAO report was released at the request of Republican senators McCain and Kyle of Wyoming, Barrasso of Wyoming, and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska. GAO investigated wildfires within 100 miles of the Asian-Mexico border and conducted interviews with federal, state and tribal personnel along the 370-mile border. Nearly 2,500 wildfires broke out in the border region between 2006 and 2010, but GAO only investigated arson fires, burned more than an acre, and had already been investigated. Of the 422 wildfires burning more than an acre, federal agents investigated only 77, or 18 percent. But the report did not include wildfires that occurred this year. GAO believes that only 30 of the wildfires investigated were related to illegal immigrants, and they were mainly concentrated in southern Asia. Among them, 15 wildfires were believed to be caused by sending distress signals, heating or cooking food. McCain said earlier this year that wildfires in Asia are sometimes linked to illegal immigration. But his comments quickly drew criticism from immigrant rights activists. Lorendo, a former Democratic state representative in the state, said that the GAO report only showed that a small number of wildfires were caused by immigrants, but how most man-made wildfires occurred did not attract McCain's attention. He said: "McCain knows that his conclusion is wrong, and he knows that he should not look at issues from a racial perspective. In order to support his conclusion, he continues to look for evidence."