Fire managers across the Southwest are reckoning with strong winds that forecasters say could lead to explosive growth in wildfires this week. Hundreds of people were evacuated in numerous blazes that have scorched structures and signaled an early start to the fire season.
A wildfire on the outskirts of Flagstaff continued its run Wednesday though dry grass and scattered Ponderosa pines around homes into volcanic cinder fields, where roots underground can combust and send small rocks flying into the air, fire officials said. Aircraft was grounded for a second day due to high winds, and a major northern Arizona highway remained closed as smoke shrouded the air.
Winds are expected to ramp up Thursday after easing up a bit Wednesday. Friday has a chance of precipitation but even stronger winds followed by a dry forecast into next week, said Brian Klimowski of the National Weather Service.
“Folks, we have entered our fire season,” he said. “It’s going to be a long one this year.”
Resources are tight around the Southwest as multiple wildfires burn. Four of the 16 top-level national fire management teams are dedicated to blazes in Arizona and New Mexico – something fire information officer Dick Fleishman said is rare this early in the season.
At a community meeting in Flagstaff, residents questioned how a small blaze reported northeast of the city Sunday afternoon ballooned to more than 30 square miles (77 square kilometers) by Wednesday afternoon. Matt McGrath, a district ranger on the Coconino National Forest, said firefighters had corralled the wildfire Sunday and didn’t see any smoke or active flames when they checked on it again Monday.
By Tuesday, the wind was firmly in control. Flames emerged and jumped the containment line, leaving firefighters and McGrath to ask themselves if they could have done something differently, he said.
“I can’t tell you for sure, but I don’t think so,” McGrath said. “And I know that’s not a satisfying answer with everything you’re going through right now.”
The cause of the fire is under investigation. Firefighters have yet to corral any part of it.
Hundreds of people have been evacuated in Arizona and New Mexico because of wildfires.
“This is a heads-up for everywhere else in the state,” said Fleishman. “If you have dry grass up next to your house, it’s time to get that cleaned up.”
In New Mexico, the Mora County Sheriff’s Office expanded evacuation orders as winds fueled a 14 square-mile (36 square-kilometer) blaze. A new fire emerged Wednesday in a wooded area along the Rio Grande south of Albuquerque.
In Colorado, new wildfires prompted evacuations in Monte Vista, a city of about 4,150 people in the southern part of the state, and near Longmont. An undetermined number of structures burned but no one was injured, authorities said.
“We struggled at times to stay in front of this fire and stay out of the way of it because the winds and stuff were so strong,” said Monte Vista Police Chief George Dingfelder. The number of acres burned in the U.S. so far this year is about 30% above the 10-year average – a figure that has gone up from 20% just earlier this month as the fire danger shifted from the southern
