Thousands evacuated as Tunnel Fire rages outside of Flagstaff
More than 2,000 people in Arizona were evacuated as a wildfire, with no containment, tripled in size. One resident faced a “wall of fire” as the blaze encroached on her backyard forcing her and her husband to flee.
By
Allison Finch, AccuWeather staff writer
Published Apr 20, 2022 2:04 PM EDT
|
Updated Apr 22, 2022 10:04 AM EDT
From the Tally Ho Trail Fire in Colorado to the massive Tunnel Fire in Arizona, wildfires spread very rapidly throughout the southwestern U.S. on April 19, prompting evacuations.
As favorable conditions for wildfires flourished across much of the Southwest, one Arizona wildfire completely tripled in size in less than 48 hours, ripping through at least two dozen structures and sending residents scrambling.
The Tunnel Fire, which is burning across an area about 14 miles northeast of Flagstaff, exploded in size since it was first reported late Sunday afternoon. On Tuesday afternoon, the fire was measured at more than 6,000 acres, but with no containment, the blaze grew to 20,198 acres by Friday morning — more than tripling in size, according to an update from InciWeb.
Following the state of emergency Gov. Greg Ducey declared for Coconino County, Arizona on Tuesday, 109 properties have been impacted and 30 homes have been burned, according to an update from the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office on Thursday evening.
As of Friday morning, the Type 1 Incident Management Team from the Pacific Northwest has arrived and at least 371 people were assigned to the fire, according to KTAR’s reporter Jim Cross. Helicopters aided in fire suppression on Thursday after being grounded on Tuesday due to high winds in the area.
“Even though we haven’t declared a percentage of containment on this fire yet, there has been a lot of work, progress, and investment on line construction around many parts of the Tunnel Fire,” Deputy Incident Commander Shelby Erickson said in a news release. “However, we won’t be declaring areas with line around them as ‘contained’ until we’re confident the line will hold during the forecasted high and shifting winds through the next few days.”
A 20-mile stretch of U.S. Highway 89, which connects Flagstaff and far northern Arizona and communities on the Navajo Nations, has been closed since Tuesday, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation (DOT). Officials will continue to assess the conditions of the highway to determine when to reopen it.
As the fire moves northeastward, away from the highly-populated Flagstaff area, officials were hopeful that structural damage would be limited.
"It's good in that it's not headed towards a very populated area, and it's headed towards less fuel," Coconino National Forest spokesperson Brady Smith told The Associated Press. "But depending on the intensity of the fire, [the] fire can still move across cinders."
People took to social media to post photos and videos of the towering smoke and uncontrollable flames. Carolyn Potter shared pictures of the fire illuminating the night sky. Kristen Byrd shared a video on Twitter that Potter had taken earlier on Tuesday of the smoke blowing in the strong winds writing "prayers for those working to put this out."
The fire and smoke emanating from it could be seen in a satellite loop on Tuesday.
Kathy Vollmer, a resident of Coconino County, told the AP that this scene was different from a wildfire last year that burned in the same area because she and her husband faced a "wall of fire" as it encroached on their backyard. Vollmer and her husband grabbed their three dogs but left a couple of cats behind as they evacuated.
"We just hope they are going to be OK," Vollmer said.
Ali Taranto, who owns a property in Flagstaff, told the AP she went to check on her Flagstaff property Tuesday, but by the time she left, the highway in the area was closed, which resulted in her driving an extra two hours back to her home in Winslow.
"To see flames several yards away from your property line and to hear the propane tanks bursting in the background, it was very surreal," Taranto said. "Ash falling down. It was crazy."
The Arizona Department of Transportation gave another perspective, straight from the road closures forced by the fire. The video captured on one of the closed mileposts on US-89 shows the hazy conditions caused by the severe event.
Due to wind thresholds for aircraft during firefighting operations, air resources were halted, according to a press release from the Coconino National Forest Service.
The cause of the Tunnel Fire is still unknown.
Authorities said they wouldn't be able to determine whether anyone was injured in the Tunnel Fire until the flames subside.
Nearly 64 miles southwest of Flagstaff in Prescott, firefighters battled the Crooks Fire, which broke out on Monday morning. The fire had grown to 2,356 acres after the strong winds pushed it in all directions on Wednesday.
Cory Carlson, the incident commander with the Prescott National Forest, told the AP on Tuesday that the biggest challenge in battling the fire has been the high winds in the region, which are carrying the embers into the air. Another challenge has been multiple fires across the state resulting in fewer resources.
AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Paul Walker said the dry and windy conditions will continue through the rest of the week, but cooler weather is expected on Friday.
"Friday looks to be windy and cooler with the possibility for a couple of showers," Walker said.
For the latest weather news, check back on AccuWeather.com. Watch the AccuWeather Network on DIRECTV, Frontier, Spectrum, fuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios. AccuWeather Now is now available on your preferred streaming platform.
Report a Typo
News / Severe Weather
Thousands evacuated as Tunnel Fire rages outside of Flagstaff
More than 2,000 people in Arizona were evacuated as a wildfire, with no containment, tripled in size. One resident faced a “wall of fire” as the blaze encroached on her backyard forcing her and her husband to flee.
By Allison Finch, AccuWeather staff writer
Published Apr 20, 2022 2:04 PM EDT | Updated Apr 22, 2022 10:04 AM EDT
From the Tally Ho Trail Fire in Colorado to the massive Tunnel Fire in Arizona, wildfires spread very rapidly throughout the southwestern U.S. on April 19, prompting evacuations.
As favorable conditions for wildfires flourished across much of the Southwest, one Arizona wildfire completely tripled in size in less than 48 hours, ripping through at least two dozen structures and sending residents scrambling.
The Tunnel Fire, which is burning across an area about 14 miles northeast of Flagstaff, exploded in size since it was first reported late Sunday afternoon. On Tuesday afternoon, the fire was measured at more than 6,000 acres, but with no containment, the blaze grew to 20,198 acres by Friday morning — more than tripling in size, according to an update from InciWeb.
Following the state of emergency Gov. Greg Ducey declared for Coconino County, Arizona on Tuesday, 109 properties have been impacted and 30 homes have been burned, according to an update from the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office on Thursday evening.
As of Friday morning, the Type 1 Incident Management Team from the Pacific Northwest has arrived and at least 371 people were assigned to the fire, according to KTAR’s reporter Jim Cross. Helicopters aided in fire suppression on Thursday after being grounded on Tuesday due to high winds in the area.
“Even though we haven’t declared a percentage of containment on this fire yet, there has been a lot of work, progress, and investment on line construction around many parts of the Tunnel Fire,” Deputy Incident Commander Shelby Erickson said in a news release. “However, we won’t be declaring areas with line around them as ‘contained’ until we’re confident the line will hold during the forecasted high and shifting winds through the next few days.”
A 20-mile stretch of U.S. Highway 89, which connects Flagstaff and far northern Arizona and communities on the Navajo Nations, has been closed since Tuesday, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation (DOT). Officials will continue to assess the conditions of the highway to determine when to reopen it.
As the fire moves northeastward, away from the highly-populated Flagstaff area, officials were hopeful that structural damage would be limited.
"It's good in that it's not headed towards a very populated area, and it's headed towards less fuel," Coconino National Forest spokesperson Brady Smith told The Associated Press. "But depending on the intensity of the fire, [the] fire can still move across cinders."
People took to social media to post photos and videos of the towering smoke and uncontrollable flames. Carolyn Potter shared pictures of the fire illuminating the night sky. Kristen Byrd shared a video on Twitter that Potter had taken earlier on Tuesday of the smoke blowing in the strong winds writing "prayers for those working to put this out."
The fire and smoke emanating from it could be seen in a satellite loop on Tuesday.
Kathy Vollmer, a resident of Coconino County, told the AP that this scene was different from a wildfire last year that burned in the same area because she and her husband faced a "wall of fire" as it encroached on their backyard. Vollmer and her husband grabbed their three dogs but left a couple of cats behind as they evacuated.
"We just hope they are going to be OK," Vollmer said.
Ali Taranto, who owns a property in Flagstaff, told the AP she went to check on her Flagstaff property Tuesday, but by the time she left, the highway in the area was closed, which resulted in her driving an extra two hours back to her home in Winslow.
"To see flames several yards away from your property line and to hear the propane tanks bursting in the background, it was very surreal," Taranto said. "Ash falling down. It was crazy."
The Arizona Department of Transportation gave another perspective, straight from the road closures forced by the fire. The video captured on one of the closed mileposts on US-89 shows the hazy conditions caused by the severe event.
Due to wind thresholds for aircraft during firefighting operations, air resources were halted, according to a press release from the Coconino National Forest Service.
The cause of the Tunnel Fire is still unknown.
Authorities said they wouldn't be able to determine whether anyone was injured in the Tunnel Fire until the flames subside.
Nearly 64 miles southwest of Flagstaff in Prescott, firefighters battled the Crooks Fire, which broke out on Monday morning. The fire had grown to 2,356 acres after the strong winds pushed it in all directions on Wednesday.
Cory Carlson, the incident commander with the Prescott National Forest, told the AP on Tuesday that the biggest challenge in battling the fire has been the high winds in the region, which are carrying the embers into the air. Another challenge has been multiple fires across the state resulting in fewer resources.
AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Paul Walker said the dry and windy conditions will continue through the rest of the week, but cooler weather is expected on Friday.
"Friday looks to be windy and cooler with the possibility for a couple of showers," Walker said.
More to see:
For the latest weather news, check back on AccuWeather.com. Watch the AccuWeather Network on DIRECTV, Frontier, Spectrum, fuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios. AccuWeather Now is now available on your preferred streaming platform.
Report a Typo