Leger Fernandez says she is pushing for FEMA to pay fire victims; 117 have sued

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. —

Hundreds of New Mexicans who lost their homes in the Hermits Peak/Calf Canyon Fire have been waiting for over two years to receive the billions in federal aid promised to them.

More than 100 of them have sued the federal government.

Now, Congresswoman Teresa Leger Fernandez, D-N.M., who helped secure more than $6 billion to help the residents in her district, tells Target 7 that it is “ridiculous” and she is fighting with the Federal Emergency Management Agency to get the funds to her constituents.

The fire, which became the largest in New Mexico's history, was caused by a prescribed burn that merged with an improperly extinguished burn pile, both of which were managed by the U.S. Forest Service.

"This is not a natural disaster. This was a manmade disaster. It was