Arizona wildfires continue to grow

Posted on May 19, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

Firefighters achieving partial containment on Gladiator and Sunflower fires

The Gladiator Fire in Arizona burning through pine forests near Crown King. PHOTO COURTESY KRISTEN ALLISON/INCIWEB. Click on the photo for more photos.

The Gladiator Fire.

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — Two major wildfires in Arizona continue to grow Friday under extreme red flag fire conditions.

The Gladiator Fire has burned across a footprint of about 13,000 acres near Crown King, where numerous evacuation orders are in effect. The fire, which started May 13 when a structure fire on private property escaped, is about 10 percent contained.

On Friday (May 18) the fire pushed farther north, crossing trails and prompting the evacuation of the Pine Flats and Turkey Creek areas. At times, flames towered as high as 120 feet in tall timber and winds caused spot fires up to a half mile from the main fire front.

Winds are expected to ease Saturday to about 10 mph with slightly higher relative humidity, so crews are hoping to complete a contingency line from the junction of County Road 52 and Forest Road 89 to the burned over area tonight.

Eight helicopters and eight air tankers  dropped water on the fire when conditions allowed.

Prescott National Forest lands  south of County Road 177 remain closed, as do all roads leading into the community of Crown King are closed. A Yavapai County fire ban is in effect across all fire ban zones. Prescott National Forest campfire and smoking restrictions are also in effect. More info is online at http://wildlandfire.az.gov.

The Sunflower Fire, about 30 miles north of Mesa, Arizona, has scorched areas within a 16,000-acre footprint, but crews have reached 33 percent containment as of Saturday morning.

The fire is burning in grass, chaparral, pinyon pine, as well as dense Arizona cypress trees in the southwest corner. Almost 600 firefighters are still on-scene, although four crews were released to other duties.

The cause of the Sunflower Fire is still under investigation.

 

 

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Sunflower fire triples in size

Posted on May 16, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

The Sunflower fire.

Sunflower fire Payson Arizona

The Sunflower Fire.

SUMMIT COUNTY — Firefighters in Arizona reported “extreme” fire behavior in the rapidly growing Sunflower Fire, which tripled in size, to more than 12,000 acres in the past 24 hours.

Working beneath towering smoke plumes in steep canyons and rocky hillsides, abut 400 firefighters managed to achieve about 7 percent containment on the fire that’s been burning near Payson since May 12.

Most firefighting efforts will be focused on containing any new starts in the vicinity of the fire and establishing fire lines along forest roads and a powerline corridor in the area.

Winds are expected to shift to the north, potentially leading to growth of the fire in new areas. Temps Wednesday once again are forecast to be in the 90s, with relative humidity in single digits.

The fire is burning in grass, chaparral, pinyon pine and heavy Arizona cypress trees in the southwest corner and firefighters say the potential for growth is extreme.

Also in Arizona, the 1,900 Bull Flat Fire continues to burn in a remote area within the Chediski Fire scar.

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Sunflower Fire in Arizona grows to 4,600 acres

Posted on May 15, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

Hot, windy conditions fuel growth of backcountry blaze

Sunflower fire map, Arizona wildfire

The Sunflower Fire, near Payson, Arizona, has grown to more than 4,500 acres.

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — Increasing southwest winds and continued hot and dry weather will present challenging conditions for firefighters trying to contain the Sunflower Fire in Arizona, which grew to 4.600 acres and is only 5 percent contained. The fire is located about 20 miles south of Payson, near Sunflower.

The fire is burning in grass, chaparral, pinyon pine, heavy Arizona cypress trees and has been running in some areas, with spotting reported from the perimeter. Winds have been gusting around 10 to 20 mph and temperatures are forecast to be in the mid-90s, with relative humidity readings in the single digits.

Fire managers said that, due to the rugged terrain, the fire may burn for a long time, with potential smoke impacts to local communities. Several power lines are threatened by the flames, and the potential for growth is extreme, according to the latest update on Inciweb.org.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation. More than 250 firefighters are working to contain the blaze.

 

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Sunflower wildfire in Arizona grows to 2,500 acres

Posted on May 13, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

Parts of the Southwest can expect wildfires early in the season.

National wildfire activity well below normal for the year-to-date

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — Signalling the start of the southwestern wildfire season, the Sunflower Fire, burning in a popular recreation area near Phoenix, Ariz,. quickly grew to 2,500 acres during the weekend.

The fire is in an area that was just designated as having a high potential for early season fires mainly due to a dry winter and a heavy load of carryover fuels.

Fire experts say they generally expect an erratic and active weather pattern during May, including windy spells  interspersed with some warmer and drier periods.

According to the fire season outlook from the National Interagency Fire Center, the potential for significant fires is expected to grow across Arizona in the next few months, with uncertainty about how summer weather patterns will develop due to a transition away from the La Niña conditions that persisted the past couple of years.

The seasonal fire outlook is online here.

The Sunflower Fire was reported May 12. It is burning one mile west of Hwy. 87 near the the town of Payson and heading toward a wilderness areas with no structures threatened at this time.

Three Type-1 hotshot crews are working to contain the fire, along with seven engines, two helicopters and three airtankers.

To-date this year there have been about 19,000 fires (average 25,000) that have burned across about 400,000 acres (average 960,000 acres).

Summit Voice on Twitter and Facebook.

 

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