As Red Flag warnings for high-risk weather conditions cover most of the Southwest, a rising ‘wall of fire’ blasted by powerful winds is driving hundreds to flee an Arizona vacation resort.
According to authorities, the Tunnel Fire has spread to 6,000 acres since it ignited under unclear circumstances on Sunday approximately 14 miles northeast of Flagstaff. As of Tuesday evening, the fire had reached 0 percent containment.
As wind gusts of up to 50 kph pushed the wildfire over a major highway, flames as high as 100 feet raced over an area of scattered dwellings, parched grass, and Ponderosa pine trees.
The Coconino County Sheriff’s Office initiated emergency evacuation operations on Tuesday morning when the fire crossed the fireline, threatening more than 200 houses.
Officials said that an estimated 2,068 individuals were under evacuation orders in the region, and that 766 homes, including more than 1,000 animals, had been successfully evacuated.
More than 200 firefighters and personnel are currently assigned to battle the fire, and an investigation team is expected to arrive on Wednesday to probe what caused the blaze.
Firefighting resources currently devoted to the Tunnel Fire include five handcrews, 15 engines, and three dozers.
Air tankers were ordered on Tuesday to aid in the firefight but were diverted due to high winds that surpassed safe operating thresholds.
The Coconino County Sheriff’s Office estimates about 25 structures have been lost to the fire. More than 250 structures are threatened, officials said.
A shelter has been set up at Sinagua Middle School for those effected by the evacuations.
The Coconino Humane Society is taking in large and small animals that have been evacuated from the danger zone.
Patrice Horstman, the chair of the Coconino County board of supervisors, said at a press conference that a local state of emergency had been declared.
‘It’s a very difficult time,’ said Horstman. ‘I really appreciate the efforts of the fire crews, our sheriff’s depart and all of our first responders.’
‘The Tunnel Fire has been fueled by high winds and dry conditions, and the county has deployed all available resources,’ she added.
Officials with the National Weather Service warned early Wednesday that much of the Southwest and High Plains was under Red Flag warnings for fire weather.
‘Critical Risks for fire weather have been issued from Las Vegas on east across northern Arizona and much of New Mexico,’ the NWS said in a flash bulletin.
‘The fire weather hazards are due to gusty winds, dry fuels, and low humidity.’
Various organizations worked to set up shelters for evacuees and animals, including goats and horses.
The scene was all too familiar for residents who recalled rushing to pack their bags and flee a dozen years ago when a much larger wildfire burned in the same area.
‘This time was different, right there in your backyard,’ said Kathy Vollmer, a resident.
She said she and her husband grabbed their three dogs but left a couple of cats behind as they faced what she described as a ‘wall of fire.’
‘We just hope they are going to be OK,’ she said.
Earlier in the day, the wildfire shut down U.S. 89, the main route between Flagstaff and far northern Arizona, and communities on the Navajo Nation. The high winds grounded aircraft that could drop water and fire retardant on the blaze.
Arizona Public Service Co., the state’s largest utility, shut off power to about 625 customers to keep firefighters safe, a spokeswoman said.
About 200 firefighters were battling the flames, but more are expected as a top-level national management team takes over later this week.
The fire started Sunday afternoon 14 miles northeast of Flagstaff. Investigators don´t know yet what caused it and have yet to corral any part of the blaze.
Ali Taranto, who works at a hospital in Winslow, rushed to Flagstaff on Tuesday to check on a house she owns that was endangered by the wildfire. She was also getting messages to check on a neighbor, who she discovered didn’t have access to oxygen when the power was off and didn’t have the wherewithal to open her garage door manually to flee.
Taranto described her neighbor as “disoriented and gasping for oxygen” when she arrived. Firefighters in the vicinity assisted in opening the garage door and transporting the neighbor to the hospital, she added. Taranto was seeking for a place to stay for his neighbor’s two dogs.
Taranto had to take a different route out of the region since the roadway into Flagstaff had been closed by the time she departed.
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