Arizona forest fire threatens town of Greer and others

Arizona forest fire threatens town of Greer and others

www.bbc.co.uk

More than 2,300 firefighters are battling one of the largest blazes ever to break out in the state of Arizona.

The rapidly moving fire, covering 287 sq miles (743 sq km), is threatening mountain communities in the east of the state.

Smoke from the burning pine forests can be seen in the neighbouring states of New Mexico and Colorado.

Forecasters said conditions could get worse on Monday as winds are expected to pick up.

6 June 2011 Last updated at 11:36

(visit the link for the full news article)

Is anyone here affected and have you lived through anything like this scale before?
For all we know, it could of been started by less rainfall than normal (yes I know Arizona is a dry state but don't you get rain sometimes in the mountains?) I heard it's due to spread and I hope you're all safe.
Do you think this was started delibrately to spread or just a co-incedence?)

www.bbc.co.uk
(visit the link for the full news article)

Well im from Arizona. lived here all my life and have not seen anything like this before. Only one summer where the smoke was thick enough to look at the sun. but the smoke is really thick and just having a small affect on me. but i cant speak for others who may have other conditions and what not.

Originally posted by kjk92
Well im from Arizona. lived here all my life and have not seen anything like this before. Only one summer where the smoke was thick enough to look at the sun. but the smoke is really thick and just having a small affect on me. but i cant speak for others who may have other conditions and what not.

I feel sorry for the people who have asthma breathing in all that stuff. I would say they would find it really hard to breathe.

The AZ fire is almost to the Border of NM. Here in the Rio Grande Valley, the air is thick with smoke, the sun is red and it's hard for some to breathe, especially in the evening. Pray for rain!!

Originally posted by whaaa
The AZ fire is almost to the Border of NM. Here in the Rio Grande Valley, the air is thick with smoke, the sun is red and it's hard for some to breathe, especially in the evening. Pray for rain!!

Wow! Seems very awful! I think you need more than rain to put it out for some reason.

reply to post by whaaa


We actually got our first rain of the season last night. It wasn't a whole lot, but enough to dampen some of the smoke. The sun was still blood red, though. The other day, the smoke was really thick and just laying over the land in every direction. It has slowed down quite a bit.

I'm hoping the monsoons start in earnest soon.

I lived in Overgaard, Arizona during the Rodeo Chediski fire in 2002, which is the largest wildfire in the history of Arizona. It incinerated nearly 500,000 acres of Ponderosa Pine forest.
The fire referred to in the OP is the Wallow Fire. It has currently burned just over 230,000 acres. This fire is to the East of where the Rodeo-Chediski was.









Photos taken June 1, 2011
Huge factors that are contributing to this conflagration, aside from it being a very dry year, are high winds and very low humidity.
It is a shame this is occurring, as this part of the Southwest is absolutely beautiful.
Pray the Monsoons start early this year

Wallow Incident Report
Rodeo-Chediski Fire

Apologies for the hokey photo links working on fixing them...

reply to post by Benevolent Heretic


Local news advised people to wear a filter mask if going outside this evening.

Walking the dogs a few minutes ago the sky was orange and visible ash was falling from the sky.

www.youtube.com...

Wow!
This seems to be getting worse for some reason.
Any reports on how far it's spread?

reply to post by NiceKid007



Nasty day here in the Rio Grande Valley. Can't see the Mts. Sandias or Monzanos or the Jemez.
Eyes are burning, headaches, visible ash in the air, dogs won't go outside. God it must be horrible close to the fire itself.

www.youtube.com...

Originally posted by whaaa
reply to post by NiceKid007

 

Nasty day here in the Rio Grande Valley. Can't see the Mts. Sandias or Monzanos or the Jemez.
Eyes are burning, headaches, visible ash in the air, dogs won't go outside. God it must be horrible close to the fire itself.

www.youtube.com...

I feel sorry for all you people!
I think it might be a plot

reply to post by whaaa


There's a hazy blue all around the horizon here today - in every direction. I have a headache and the smell of smoke is in the air. We have the house shut up because it's hot, but I can really smell it outside!

The fire has ZERO containment! Ack!

The Wallow fire burning in eastern Arizona is approximately 311,481 acres with no level of containment. There are currently rolling blackouts throughout the area due to the testing of the power grid in the community.
...
Spot fires are occurring up to 3 miles ahead of the fire. Firefighter activities include: burnout operations, building fire line, perimeter control, structure protection, and patrolling for spot fires.
...
Effective immediately, further evacuations have been ordered by the Apache County Sheriff's Office for all the areas south of Hwy 260 and east of Greer, including South Fork and portions of Eagar. Hwy 260 will remain open for the evacuation and will be closed immediately after the evacuation.

Source

The Wallow fire is getting close to some power structures that transmit power from California to El Paso and then back into New Mexico (Southeast)... So, this fire may be causing some problems for more people than we originally thought... I hope they get it stopped soon. Still smoky here today.

reply to post by NiceKid007


my uncle lives there he was told to evacuate two days ago and is staying with friends 50 miles away but hes almost positive hes gonna loose his house but he did double his insurance 8 months ago so it might end up being a windfall so he can move out here but from what he said it was the worst fire hed seen in a while and he used to work for the forestry service as a fire watcher

Evacuations Ordered in Two Towns

While residents of the town of Eagar were ordered Tuesday to evacuate, authorities Wednesday asked residents of nearby Springerville to clear out as well.

The Wallow Fire, the second largest wildfire in Arizona’s history, is closing in on the two towns that were already in pre-evacuation mode. About 2,700 people from mountain communities were evacuated days earlier, including from the towns of Greer, Sunrise, Alpine, Blue River, and Nutrioso.

I travel to AZ often and go right through Eager, Springerville and Alpine. I imagine things are going to look pretty different next trip... Today is not as smokey, but I'm sure it's just because of the winds... The fire is still 0% contained.

Here's a map of the fire:



For reference, Alpine and Nutrioso are 10 miles apart.

reply to post by Benevolent Heretic


Nice and clear here in the valley this morning. Last night however was nasty with many people beginning to show the negative effects of breathing all the smoke; headaches, coughs, allergies kicking in, etc. The red sun however is beautiful in a surreal way.

www.youtube.com...

I'm thinking of joining my Jemez bros for a little drumming and rain dancin. Much to dry here in the Rockies and it could mirror what Az. is going thru.

Stay safe!

Frequently Asked Questions about the Wallow Fire

We are donating to Red Cross. The people in the area asked that people who want to help do that and pray. This is going to be devastating to the area...

Pictures of Alpine, Az.

I discovered last night that the smoke we're seeing in Southern NM is from the Horseshoe 2 fire south of Tucson. The Wallow smoke is traveling NE toward Albq.

Horseshoe 2 Fire

The Horseshoe 2 fire is 135,000 acres and 45% contained.
The Wallow fire is now 430,000 acres and 5% contained.

Satellite Picture of Both Fires

The southern highway (US 180) from AZ into NM is closed about 25 miles inside the New Mexico border.

It's crazy stuff! The wind is just feeding these fires. C'mon rain!