Firefighters battling the blaze have dealt with severe conditions that have caused extreme fire behavior and sent huge amounts of smoke swirling in the sky. “Due to the strong winds, in fact no aircraft could fly safely,” Aaron Grazer, the incident commander, told a news conference Monday night. “We do not rely on the air to succeed, there are always people on the ground independently. However, it can definitely buy us a regular and functional advantage when we have it “. By Tuesday, the winds had calmed down and the planes were moving again, offering hope that progress could be made on the fire while conditions were more favorable. However, the larger fire, known as the pipeline fire that broke out on Sunday, and two smaller fires that started near Monday and then merged, are still within the 0% limit. Grazer said evacuations and protection of structures were the top priorities for the approximately 600 firefighters on the ground. About 2,500 homes have been evacuated and two structures burned, the Kokonino County Sheriff’s Office said. “A day like today, with the winds doing what they did, with the fuel conditions we have,” Graeser said. “The No. 1 value at stake is the public we serve.” The fire also spread to the wild Coconino Peaks and tribal areas and cultural sites in the north, Graeser said. Residents around the city looked to the mountains as smoke billowed into the air and winds screamed, some frightened, some nervous most hoping the humidity in the forecast later this week would bring some relief. The Pipeline fire is pushing into the wild Coconino Peaks and into northern lands and tribal areas. Photo: Rob Schumacher / The Republic / Reuters “We are definitely dry,” Flagstaff resident Colin Califour said late Monday. “The forests are dry. It’s unfortunate. “You do not like to see it.” Strong winds also blew smoke into the sky, creating unhealthy air quality throughout the area, reaching as far as Colorado and other surrounding areas. “While winds will be weaker today than they were yesterday, stormy southwest winds are expected to continue to result in active fire behavior and increased smoke production,” the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality said in a statement Tuesday morning. residents stay inside, close windows and use air filtration systems if possible. The climate crisis has set the stage for increased fires, providing higher temperatures that burn moisture from dry landscapes. Fires broke out early this spring in several states in the western United States, where the climate crisis and a persistent drought are triggering the frequency and intensity of forest fires and meadows. O’Leary’s 360 Overwatch Webcams tonight at 8:28 p.m. they give us an idea of how far this fire has spread … from the top to the valley below. The views we are used to will be black in the morning. That’s why we obey the burning bans! #PipelineFire #azwx pic.twitter.com/YRhcKbajpM – NWS Flagstaff (@NWSFlagstaff) June 14, 2022 The number of square miles burned so far this year is more than double the national average of 10 years, and states such as New Mexico have already set a record for catastrophic fires that destroyed hundreds of homes, causing environmental damage that is expected to affect water supplies. Nationwide, more than 6,200 wildlife firefighters are battling nearly three dozen uncontrolled wildfires that had charred more than 1 square meter (405,000 hectares), according to the National Interdepartmental Fire Department. Even in Alaska, meteorologists have warned that many fires in the southern part of the state have increased dramatically in the past week, which is unusual. Southwest Alaska normally experiences shorter periods of high fire risk because the intermittent rain can provide relief, but since mid-May the area has been hot and windy, drying out the vegetation. The favorable weather on Monday helped slow down the development of a fire in the tundra about three miles (4.8 kilometers) away from a village Yup’ik. Moderate temperatures and the shifting wind that led to the fire at St Mary’s will allow firefighters to fire directly at the flames and increase protection for the community. In California, evacuations were ordered for about 300 remote homes near a forest fire that broke out over the weekend in northeast Los Angeles near the Pacific Crest Trail in the San Gabriel Mountains. It had burned about 990 acres (400 hectares) of pine and dry brushes since Monday and was reduced by 27%, said fire spokeswoman Dana Diarke. A second fire in Tehama County, northern California, destroyed 10 buildings, damaged four others and threatened about 160 structures, fire officials said. It was reduced by 30% from Tuesday afternoon. A spring fire outside Flagstaff, called the Tunnel Fire, destroyed more than a dozen homes before being contained earlier this month. Many residents who were then evacuated were forced to flee their homes a second time, as they were barely given enough time to settle before a new fire broke out. The causes of the recent fires in California were under investigation. Lightning is suspected in one of the fires in northern Arizona, but authorities do not yet know what caused the biggest fire. With almost no rainfall last month, Arizona recorded one of the driest Mays recorded, according to the state’s water resources department. The high risk of fire is expected to continue until the southwest monsoon, which usually causes rain in the last summer months, offers relief. Until then, residents remain on alert, while officials are working to contain the flames that are currently burning. “I know coming out of the fire in the tunnel and its effects was undesirable,” Graeser said. “However, rest assured that there are many men and women out there who stand guard tonight and will continue to protect this community.” The Associated Press contributed to the publication
