Wall of fire forces evacuations near Arizona tourist town

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz.– Heavy winds kicked up an imposing wall of flames outside a northern Arizona traveler town Tuesday, ripping through two-dozen structures and sending out homeowners of more than 700 homes rushing to flee.Flames as high as 100 feet (30 meters) raced through an area of scattered houses, dry lawn and Ponderosa pine trees on the outskirts of Flagstaff as wind gusts of up to 50 miles per hour (80 kph) pushed the blaze over a significant highway.Coconino County authorities stated during a night news conference that 766 houses and 1,000 animals had actually been evacuated. The fire was moving northeast away from the more greatly populated locations of Flagstaff, house to Northern Arizona University, and towards Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument, stated Coconino National Forest representative Brady Smith. Firefighters and law enforcement officers went door to door informing people to evacuate but had to pull out to avoid getting boxed in, stated Coconino County Sheriff Jim Driscoll.He stated his office got a call about a man who was trapped inside his house, but firefighters couldnt get to him.”I do not see any significant reductions in wind, I do not see any big bump ups in humidity and, at this point, were not truly anticipating any rainfall either,” stated meteorologist Robert Rickey.Red flag cautions blanketed much of Arizona and New Mexico on Tuesday, showing conditions are ripe for wildfires. Researchers say environment change has made the U.S. West much warmer and drier in the previous 30 years and will continue to make weather more severe and wildfires more regular and destructive.Elsewhere in Arizona, firemens fought a wildfire in a sparsely inhabited location of the Prescott National Forest, about 10 miles (16 kilometers) south of Prescott.Cory Carlson, the event commander with the Prescott National Forest, stated late Tuesday afternoon the high winds have been the most significant difficulty, sending ashes into the air that stimulated brand-new spot fires near State Route 261, along with the demand for teams at other fires.

The fire was moving northeast away from the more greatly inhabited areas of Flagstaff, home to Northern Arizona University, and toward Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument, said Coconino National Forest spokesman Brady Smith. Firemens and law enforcement officers went door to door telling people to evacuate but had to pull out to prevent getting boxed in, said Coconino County Sheriff Jim Driscoll.He said his workplace got a call about a man who was caught inside his house, but firefighters could not get to him. Scientists say environment modification has actually made the U.S. West much warmer and drier in the previous 30 years and will continue to make weather more severe and wildfires more regular and destructive.Elsewhere in Arizona, firemens battled a wildfire in a sparsely inhabited location of the Prescott National Forest, about 10 miles (16 kilometers) south of Prescott.Cory Carlson, the occurrence leader with the Prescott National Forest, said late Tuesday afternoon the high winds have been the biggest obstacle, sending out cinders into the air that triggered new area fires near State Route 261, along with the need for teams at other fires.