'Wall of fire' forces evacuations near Arizona tourist town

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP

By FELICIA FONSECA

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — Heavy winds kicked up a towering wall of flames outside a northern Arizona tourist town Tuesday, ripping through two-dozen structures and sending residents of more than 700 homes scrambling to flee.

Flames as high as 100 feet (30 meters) raced through an area of scattered homes, dry grass and Ponderosa pine trees on the outskirts of Flagstaff as wind gusts of up to 50 mph (80 kph) pushed the blaze over a major highway.

Coconino County officials said during an evening news conference that 766 homes and 1,000 animals had been evacuated. About 250 structures remained threatened in the area popular with hikers and off-road vehicle users and where astronauts have trained amid volcanic cinder pits.

The county declared an emergency after the wildfire ballooned from 100 acres (40 hectares) Tuesday morning to over 9 square miles (23 square kilometers) by evening, and ash rained from the sky. The fire was moving northeast away from the more heavily populated areas of Flagstaff, home to Northern Arizona University, and toward Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument, said Coconino National Forest spokesman Brady Smith.



Smoke from a wind-whipped wildfire rises above neighborhoods on the outskirts of Flagstaff, Ariz., on Tuesday, April 19, 2022. Homes on the outskirts of Flagstaff were being evacuated Tuesday as high winds whipped a wildfire, shut down a major highway and grounded firefighting aircraft. (Sean Golightly/Arizona Daily Sun via AP)


Read more: https://apnews.com/article/wildfires-environment-arizona-fires-evacuations-58aa328069713ba952cf7c4a8056379c

[marybourg]

1. Flag is a "tourist town"?

Never thought of it as such. Used to be a lumber town. Now maybe a college town.

[Nac Mac Feegle]

7. Flag is close to The Canyon

The nearest city, about 90 minutes from Flagstaff to the main South Entrance to The Grand Canyon. So there is a lot of tourism related activity there. Also, people getting away from the heat of the Phoenix area, the storied Route 66, and a gateway of sorts to Monument Valley (think the setting of the Roadrunner cartoons). Some really spectacular scenery all around.

It's one of my favorite work-related destinations, I've been there quite a bit over the years.

[Emile]

10. We stayed in Flagstaff when we visited the Grand Canyon.

I wonder if the fire is between Flag and the canyon? That's a beautiful stretch of land in Arizona.

[Nac Mac Feegle]

11. The fires are North and Northeast of Flagstaff city proper

Along highway 89 that heads out north toward Cameron and Monument Valley. A friend that lives there says that some people have been completely burned out.

The fires are in very dry grassland with some scrub oaks, so wind is a major factor to accelerate the spread of the fire.

Really hairy situation there.

[Emile]

12. Looking at a road map and I'm thinking RT64 to the canyon

is the road we took from Flagstaff. The fires according to you are not that far east. I sure hope they can keep the fires contained.

[Warpy]

2. Dry winter, bad fire season

Things are bad here in NM, also, with multiple fires and two dead so far, and we haven't even started dry lightning season.

I'm afraid things are going to get worse before they can get better.

Stay safe out there.

[electric_blue68]

3. Oh, dear. I stayed there overnight twice with 2 different friends back in '79.

It was during the beginning, and the end of my cross country adventure. Treated well.

Good luck to everyone involved.

[Wingus Dingus]

4. It's been permanent fire season this past year in Colorado, I guess that's

NM and AZ now too.

[Hekate]

8. Stay safe out there, people

Regards from SoCal.

[Kaleva]

9. People ought to start moving out of that region. The South West as it's going to get worse.

With the real estate market the way it is, one may be able to sell quickly which would finance a move to the Upper Great Lakes area, parts of the Appalachian Mountain range or parts of New England.