Many residents of Flagstaff, Ariz., are on edge Sunday evening because of wildfires around the city that closed a major highway and caused evacuations, according to varying news reports.
A 3,000-acre fire north of town has forced the closure of U.S. Highway 89 north of town, according to the Arizona Daily Sun. Another fire Saturday burned 500 to 600 acres south of Interstate 40 forced evacuations and the temporary closure of the Little America hotel.
And, as of Sunday evening, there were reports of a third fire on west Route 66 and Flag Ranch Road west of town.
Here’s a time-lapse video of one of the fires, as seen on Route 66 from the southeastern part of town:
Here are photos of the fires from Twitter users.
Here’s a live feed of radio transmissions from fire agencies fighting the wildfires.
This sort of grave fire situation has lurked in the minds of Flagstaff residents for years, as the city is surrounded on all sides by dense forest.
We’ll keep an eye on this situation …
UPDATE 6/21/10: The fire north of town has expanded to 5,000 acres.
UPDATE2: The fire north of town has swelled to nearly 9,000 acres, with more evacuations ordered.
As of 6:45pm Sunday Arizona time, there are two major fires burning near Flagstaff- the Hardy fire south of town (south of I-40 and the Little America Hotel), and the Schultz Pass fire approximately 4-5 miles north of town. As things stand at the moment, an arrest was made for the Hardy fire- now 30% contained. The Shultz Pass fire, reported today at 11 am is now over 3,000 acres and growing rapidly. Currently a number of neighborhoods north of Flagstaff along U.S. Highway 89 have been evacuated, and the highway is closed- mostly due to smoke which is traveling in a northeasterly direction from the fire. The first slurry bomber has arrived to fight the Schultz Pass fire as I am writing this entry.
Once again, Flagstaff is experiencing high winds which are helping to drive the fires. The fire near Williams, AZ. is approaching containment. While the number of fires, their behavior and growth is alarming, so far no homes or businesses haveburnd. Route 66 is clear and safe, and no damage has been done along the road. I’ll post udates from the city, or other local authorities as they are made available.