Arizona wildfire forces evacuation of hundreds of homes
Fire crews struggled with hot, dry and windy weather as they fought to protect hundreds of US homes and businesses from a 1,500-acre wildfire creeping into northern Arizona’s scenic Oak Creek Canyon.
The fire started on Sunday and spread quickly, forcing the evacuation of about 400 homes and businesses in the narrow canyon and about 100 homes in five subdivisions on the rugged north side of Sedona. The fire was 5 per cent contained late yesterday afternoon.
“We need some rain in the worst way here and our monsoons aren’t due to start till after July 4, it’s been my experience. So, pray for rain,” said Serge Wright, an optometrist whose home wasn’t one of those that was evacuated.
By early afternoon, flames had edged about 300 feet below the rim of the canyon in spots and were about a half-mile from some homes, said Connie Birkland, a spokeswoman for fire crews. No buildings had been damaged.
The estimate of the burned area had been reduced from 3,000 acres to about 1,500 after more precise mapping during the day, another spokeswoman said. Authorities believe the blaze started in a camp used by transients.
Oak Creek Canyon, more than 90 miles north of Phoenix, holds scattered homes, hotels, resorts and stores.
“I’m a little apprehensive,” said Sedona mayor Pud Colquitt, one of the evacuees from Oak Creek Canyon. “It’s a wait-and-see now.”
In neighbouring New Mexico, four fires started by lightning had burned more than 30,000 acres in the tinder-dry Gila National Forest in the south-western part of the state. The biggest of the three had charred nearly 11,000 acres and threatened 150 homes in the Lake Roberts area. Residents will be allowed to return today, said fire information officer Shayna Carney.
In southern Colorado, a wildfire burning in dry, thick forest exploded in size yesterday as flames as high flames moved across 4,500 acres, forcing firefighters to pull back and officials to order the evacuation of hundreds of homes.
The fire, about 10 miles north-east of Fort Garland, had been reported at 400 acres in the morning.
Wildfires have burned more than 3.1 million acres across the US so far this year, well ahead of the average of about 900,000 acres by this time last year, the National Interagency Fire Centre reported.
Huge grass fires that swept Texas and Oklahoma this spring account for a large part of this year’s acreage.
