Five largest Arizona wildfires on record occurred in the last nine years – ‘This does not foretell well for the future’

SPRINGERVILLE, Arizona, June 6 (MSNBC) — More evacuations were ordered Monday as Arizona’s third largest wildfire on record threatened new areas, including a New Mexico town. Officials also revised upwards their estimate of the burn size, now saying that it covers 365 square miles, up from 301 square miles earlier Monday. Those who hadn’t already left the towns of Greer and Sunrise were ordered out Monday afternoon. Earlier, residents of several subdivisions along highways 180 and 191 in eastern Arizona had cleared out, while residents of Luna, N.M., were told they could face mandatory evacuation orders if conditions worsen. The fire has sent smoke and haze across five states and as far east as Iowa. Crews were expected to encounter tough conditions, including lightning storms with no rain, over the next few days. “We anticipate that the current dry and windy conditions will lead to several difficult days of firefighting ahead,” said U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell. … About 2,000 people fled Alpine and Nutrioso late last week and headed to larger towns for shelter. So far, the flames have destroyed five buildings and scorched 233,522 acres of ponderosa pine forest. No serious injuries have been reported. The blaze nearly doubled in size between Saturday and Monday. … Smoke from the wildfire spread to nearby states, and as many as 1,000 miles away. A ridge of high pressure was carrying the haze to central Iowa, said Kyle Fredin, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Denver. The smoke was visible in New Mexico, Colorado, Nebraska and Kansas. … In eastern Colorado, the haze obscured the view of the mountains from downtown Denver and prompted some municipal health departments to issue air quality warnings. In Arizona, the fire and heavy smoke created pea-soup visibility, forcing the closure of several roads, including about a two-mile stretch of Highway 180 between Alpine and the New Mexico line, Frenzen said. … The fire is the state’s third-largest, behind a 2002 blaze that blackened more than 732 square miles and one in 2005 that burned about 387 square miles in the Phoenix suburb of Cave Creek. The state also has another major wildfire, its fifth-largest, in southeastern Arizona that threatened two communities. …

Ariz. fire tops 365 square miles, threatens NM town

TUCSON — One of the largest wildfires in Arizona’s history cast an orange glow over people fleeing their mountain homes as four cabins burned and smoke grayed the sky 200 miles away. Dozens of other fires blazed in several Western states. And the dry weather has authorities continuing restrictions on campfires and charcoal grills within several areas, including the Bureau of Land Management Lake Havasu Field Office. Fireworks and flares are also banned. The U.S. Forest Service said Friday that four summer rental cabins burned in the Wallow wildfire, which was consuming dead and dry trees and brush in the White Mountains near the New Mexico border. At 165 square miles, or 106,000 acres, the Wallow fire has now become the fourth-largest wildfire in state history. The Rodeo-Chediski burned 469,000 acres in 2002, the Cave Creek complex fire burned 248,000 acres in 2005, and the Willow fire burned 120,000 acres in 2004. Meanwhile, the Horseshoe Two fire burning in southern Arizona has become the fifth-largest wildfire in state history at 86,000 acres. “That’s really significant,” said Jim Payne, a U.S. Forest Service spokesman. “This does not foretell well for the future. Here we are with literally another five to six weeks of fire season.” …

Summer cabins burned, evacuations ordered from Arizona wildfires