May 12, 2000

Wildfire fed by 50-mile-an-hour winds resumes its path of devastation in Los Alamos, NM, forcing evacuation of as many as 25,000 people and destroying at least 260 homes, but apparently not causing serious damage at Los Alamos National Laboratory, where nuclear weapons are designed; officials see little chance of bringing blaze under control until weather changes; local and national officials express anger at National Park Service after learning that it set controlled fire even after National Weather Service warned that high winds were expected; Interior Dept, which operates Park Service, announces that Roy Weaver, superintendent of Bandelier National Monument, where fire was set, has been placed on administrative leave pending investigation; about 20,000 acres have burned and more than 1,000 emergency and fire personnel are fighting blaze; no injuries have been reported; Energy Sec Bill Richardson visits scene and reports that Los Alamos National Laboratory has suffered some fire damage but is secure; photos (M)

Former New Jersey Gov Jim Florio and Jon S Corzine, his opponent in Democratic primary for US Senate, meet for their first debate, Trenton; Florio, after enduring eight-week barrage of costly television commercials by Corzine, seizes control of debate, forcing Corzine on defensive for a full hour; Florio ridicules Corzine's proposals, likening his views to those of Republican politicians and repeatedly attacking his main qualification for Senate: former co-chairman of Goldman, Sachs & Co; photo (M)

Man in the News biographical profile of Bishop Edward Michael Egan, who has been chosen ninth Roman Catholic archbishop of New York; he is to be installed as archbishop on June 19 in ceremony at St Patrick's Cathedral; photos (L)

Elvis Mitchell reviews Michael Almereyda's film adaption of Hamlet, starring Ethan Hawke; photo (M)

Women in military say they are reluctant to file sexual harassment complaints, because they fear opening their personal lives to examination and being blamed for inviting sexual advance; 13 of 16 female senior officers interviewed say that they have been target of single instance of sexual harassment in military and that to protect their careers they never reported it; they marvel that Lt Gen Claudia J Kennedy, so close to retirement, would have subjected herself to backlash and tarnished reputation that would inevitably come from making sexual harassment charge; they predict that instead of being remembered for her formidable accomplishments in Army, she will be remembered as woman with sex complaint (M)