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mike
What box?
Joined: 30 Dec 2002
Posts: 3134
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 Posted: 6/1/2006, 10:50 pm Post subject: Wildfire burns near Sedona |
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| azcentral.com wrote: |
Wildfire expands to 2,000 acres
Lindsey Collom and Mike Clancy
The Arizona Republic
Jun. 1, 2006 09:28 PM
A fast-moving wildfire burned about 2,000 acres and forced the evacuation of 30 homes southeast of Sedona before cutting into the wilderness Thursday.
The Barranca Fire began on private land about 2:30 p.m. in the Village of Oak Creek and quickly crossed over to the Coconino National Forest.
By 8 p.m., it was burning in the Munds Mountain Wilderness three miles west of Interstate 17. Cooler temperatures Thursday night were expected to slow down the fire activity, but the fire raced through the steep terrain.
Officials planned to let the fire burn through the night, but would attack the blaze again this morning. There were no structures in the direction the fire was headed.
Officials believe the fire was human-caused but were still investigating.
About 100 people, which includes 20 engine crews and three air tankers, quashed most of the fire activity in and around the Pine Valley area, which includes multi-million dollar retreats. At least two homes were burned early on in the blaze.
Officials did not know when residents would be able to return to their homes. A Red Cross care center was in place at Big Park Community School in the Village of Oak Creek.
According to volunteers at the scene, 50 residents had arrived by Thursday night. However, it was not clear if they were all from homes in evacuated areas, said Melissa Wenzel, spokeswoman for the Red Cross' Grand Canyon Chapter. Red Cross personnel didn't know Thursday night whether the care center would need to serve as a full-fledged shelter.
Forest spokeswoman Raquel Romero said that once the structures were safe, fire officials said their main concern Thursday night was keeping the fire from moving closer to the Interstate.
"It's difficult to get to, you can't drive to that area, you can't fly to that area," Romero said. "Fires burning in wilderness are fought differently. You can't use a bulldozer."
When the fire was called in, it had burned only four acres of grass just east of Highway 179. But high temperatures, high winds and low humidity caused the fire to burn rapidly and intensely, officials said. It cut through 40 acres by 5 p.m. and topped 100 acres nearly an hour later.
Also on Thursday, Lynx Lake, located about three miles south of Prescott, and a day-use site on the lake's south shore were closed because of a wildfire there. The Green Fire started burning about 1 p.m. By midafternoon, it had burned about 20 acres. It was burning in Ponderosa pine about three miles south of the lake.
Campgrounds at the lake remained open Thursday. |
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0601homesdestroyed-ON.html
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mike
What box?
Joined: 30 Dec 2002
Posts: 3134
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| Posted: 6/2/2006, 2:54 pm Post subject: |
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| azcentral.com wrote: |
Wildfire growth possible this afternoon
Lindsey Collom, Mike Clancy, Judi Villa and Christopher Kline
azcentral.com
Jun. 2, 2006 11:15 AM
The La Barranca fire continued to burn in the Munds Mountain Wilderness near Sedona late Friday morning, according to the U.S..Forest Service.
After charring at least two homes in the Village of Oak Creek on Thursday, the fire spread into more remote land within the Coconino National Forest.
"We did lose the (two) homes,” Sedona Fire District Chief Matt Shobert said “That's a tragic event. But it could have been much worse. Once it hit the forest, it took off."
Fire officials on Friday expressed concern that with the combination of intense afternoon heat and light winds, the blaze could act erratically.
As of 11 a.m., evacuation orders for about 30 area homes remained in effect for the communities yesterday affected by the fire.
Since it started Thursday, the La Barranca fire has burned 1,500 acres.
Investigators said it appeared the fire was started by sparks from a grinder used by crews from a fencing company.
When the fire was called in, it had burned only four acres of grass just east of Highway 179. But high temperatures, high winds and low humidity caused the fire to burn rapidly and intensely, officials said. It cut through 40 acres by 5 p.m. and topped 100 acres nearly an hour later.
Check back for wildfire updates throughout the afternoon. |
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0602fireupdate-ON.html
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azbackpackr
Hi Tech Wizardess
Joined: 31 Dec 2005
Posts: 3639
Location: Needles CA
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| Posted: 6/3/2006, 6:34 am Post subject: |
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| Thanks--keep us posted. I never seem to get around to watching TV news or reading the paper any more! |
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mike
What box?
Joined: 30 Dec 2002
Posts: 3134
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| Posted: 6/4/2006, 1:44 pm Post subject: Sedona fire under control |
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| azcentral.com wrote: |
Sedona fire under control
Residents given OK to go home
Glen Creno
The Arizona Republic
Jun. 4, 2006 12:00 AM
About 200 people forced out of their Sedona-area homes by a wildfire returned to their houses Saturday as firefighters gained the upper hand battling the blaze.
Crews had the La Barranca Fire 80 percent to 90 percent contained by Saturday evening. Temperatures were expected to top out near 100 degrees, but winds were fairly quiet, giving crews a chance to extend their fire lines. Fire commanders began cutting the allocation of the more than 500 assigned to the blaze, which was about five miles south of Sedona. The rugged territory has made firefighters' jobs even more difficult.
"Some of the terrain is more hospitable to billy goats than people," said Dick Fleishman, a spokesman for the multi-agency group fighting the fire.
Firefighters are being kept busy across the state and the Southwest as more blazes break out. The White Fire, five miles north of Superior in the Tonto National Forest, had covered 150 acres by Saturday and was reported to be 75 percent contained. That fire was started early Friday by lightning. Officials said 40 firefighters were mopping up the blaze and hoped to have it contained Saturday.
The Green Fire, a 40-acre blaze south of Prescott, was reported to be 90 percent contained by midday Saturday. The fire was expected to be fully contained today. The La Barranca Fire had forced the evacuation of 30 of the 200 homes in the Pine Valley subdivision, in the Village of Oak Creek, after it started Thursday. The evacuees stayed with friends or at lodging around the Sedona area.
The Red Cross set up an evacuation center in a local school, but no residents asked for overnight shelter.
One house was destroyed and another damaged in the subdivision, officials said. Four "outbuildings" or sheds also were destroyed. No one was hurt. There was no estimate of the damage to the homes and other buildings. Charlie Lyman, a real estate agent with Coldwell Banker First Affiliate in Sedona, said houses in the subdivision are listing for the mid-$500,000s to more than $2 million, depending on the size of the house and its lot.
"It is a very nice area," he said.
The fire had covered nearly 850 acres by late Saturday. Investigators say it apparently was sparked by a fencing company grinder. The cost of fighting the fire stood at $300,000 by late Saturday.
The U.S. Forest Service and Sedona investigated the fire. Citations could be issued to those involved in starting it. Fleishman said that anyone cited could be responsible for the cost of putting out the fire, or a portion of the cost. |
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0604fires0604.html
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