FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — The northern Arizona city of Flagstaff is synonymous with mountains — lush with ponderosa pines, meadows and hiking trails that are a respite from the desert heat farther south.
Now, parts of them are burning yet again, fanned by winds that pushed one fire through more than 27 square miles. Winds moderated Tuesday after a day of red flag conditions, which could help firefighters get a better handle on a blaze that has largely spared homes but made a run into a wilderness area and reached a lava dome volcano.
“They’re optimistic to make some headway,” fire information officer Cathie Pauls said Tuesday.
Residents around the city looked toward the mountains as smoke billowed through the air and winds howled early this week, some scared, some nervous — most hoping that moisture in the forecast late this week brings some relief.
“We’re most definitely dry,” said Flagstaff resident Colin Challifour. “The forests are dry. It’s unfortunate. You don’t like to see it.”
Authorities downgraded evacuation orders Tuesday but people in about 700 homes still were under orders to stay out of the area, the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office said. Another 280 homes have been evacuated because of another wildfire that’s burned 4 square miles on the outskirts of Flagstaff in a more remote area.
One home and a secondary structure have been destroyed in the larger fire, the sheriff’s office said. Wildfires have also forced evacuations in California and New Mexico.
In northern Arizona, Coconino County declared an emergency because of the wildfire.
Lightning is suspected in one of the northern Arizona fires, but authorities don’t yet know what caused the larger wildfire. Parts of U.S. Highway 89, the main route to reach the Grand Canyon’s East Rim entrance and through the Navajo Nation and up into Utah, remained closed, as did the Arizona Snowbowl ski resort.
Fire incident commander Aaron Graeser said the big Flagstaff-area blaze is one of the top priorities in the country for firefighting resources.
Wildfires broke out early this spring in multiple states in the Western U.S., where climate change and an enduring drought are fanning the frequency and intensity of forest and grassland fires. A springtime fire outside Flagstaff destroyed more than two dozen homes. Most of the residents who evacuated then are out of their homes again because of this latest wildfire.
In Utah, there are three active fires, according to utahfireinfo.gov. However, the Dalton Wash Fire, which ignited Thursday, has burned 378 acres and now is 90% contained. The Cove Canyon Fire burned 5-plus acres and is considered “out,” though smoke is impacting visibility on U.S. Highway 89. And the Canyon Fire, which burned 15-plus acres, is in the “mop up” phase.
The number of square miles burned so far this year is more than double the 10-year national average, and states like New Mexico have already set records with devastating blazes that destroyed hundreds of homes while causing environmental damage that is expected to affect water supplies.
Nationally, more than 6,200 wildland firefighters were battling nearly three dozen uncontained fires that had charred over 1,780 square miles — much of it in the U.S. Southwest, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.
Written by FELICIA FONSECA, The Associated Press. Also contributing: Christopher Weber and John Antczak in Los Angeles; Mark Thiessen in Anchorage, Alaska; Jim Anderson in Denver; and Susan Montoya Bryan in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Photo Gallery
A firefighter watches as the Sheep Fire burns in Wrightwood, Calif., Sunday, June 12, 2022 | Photo by Ringo H.W. Chiu, The Associated Press, St. George News The Sheep fire burns in Wrightwood, Calif., Monday, June 13, 2022 | Photo by Ringo H.W. Chiu, The Associated Press, St. George News The moon is seen as the Sheep fire burns in Wrightwood, Calif., Monday, June 13, 2022 | Photo by Ringo H.W. Chiu, The Associated Press, St. George News A firefighter watches as the Sheep fire burns in Wrightwood, Calif., Monday, June 13, 2022 | Photo by Ringo H.W. Chiu, The Associated Press, St. George News People evacuate their home as the Pipeline Fire burns in the mountains above Flagstaff, Ariz., Sunday, June 12, 2022. The fire has forced the evacuation of several hundred homes | Photo by Jake Bacon/Arizona Daily Sun via The Associated Press, St. George News This photo provided by Nate Nise from Lowell Observatory shows smoke from the Pipeline Fire over the mountains above Flagstaff, Ariz., on Monday, June 13, 2022. A wildfire burning on the outskirts of the city has forced the evacuation of several hundred homes | Photo by Nate Nise/Lowell Observatory via The Associated Press, St. George News Areas shaded gray show size and coverage area of smoke and haze from Western wildfires. Green dots indicate placement of sensors used to measure air quality, June 14, 2022 | Map courtesy of fire.airnow.gov, St. George News
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