Wildfire near Flagstaff, which has grown to more than 20,050 acres, wreaking havoc.
Wildfire near Flagstaff, which has grown to more than 20,050 acres, wreaking havoc.
An Arizona wildfire doubled in size in less than 24 hours, ripping through at least two dozen structures and sending residents scrambling.
What is being called The Tunnel Fire, which is burning across an area about 14 miles northeast of Flagstaff, has exploded in size since it was first reported late Sunday afternoon. On Tuesday afternoon, the fire was measured at more than 6,000 acres, but with no containment, the blaze grew to 20,511 acres Thursday morning — more than doubling in size.
Officials declared an emergency Tuesday afternoon for the rapidly growing wildfire and said that about two dozen structures had been burned and roughly 250 more buildings were threatened by the fire.
More than 750 homes have been evacuated — meaning more than 2,000 people had fled the blaze — as of Wednesday morning, said Trey Williams, a spokesman for Coconino County.
A 10-mile stretch of U.S. Highway 89, which connects Flagstaff and far northern Arizona and communities on the Navajo Nations, was closed Tuesday afternoon because of the blaze.
People took to social media to post photos and videos of the towering smoke and uncontrollable flames. Carolyn Potter shared pictures of the fire illuminating the night sky. Kristen Byrd shared a video on Twitter Potter had taken earlier on Tuesday of the smoke blowing in the strong winds, writing “prayers for those working to put this out.”
#tunnelfire at night. pic.twitter.com/3tWzjhQL6L
— Carolyn Potter (@CarolynPotter06) April 20, 2022
The fire and smoke emanating from it could be seen in a satellite loop on Tuesday.
Due to wind thresholds for aircraft during firefighting operations, air resources were halted, according to a press release from the Coconino National Forest Service.
The cause of The Tunnel Fire is still unknown.
Authorities said they wouldn’t be able to determine whether anyone was injured in The Tunnel Fire until the flames subside.
About 64 miles southwest of Flagstaff in Prescott, firefighters battled the Crooks Fire, which broke out on Monday morning. The fire had grown to more than 1,600 acres by Wednesday morning, and no containment was reported.
AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Paul Walker said the dry and windy conditions will continue through the rest of the week, but cooler weather is expected on Friday.
“Friday looks to be windy and cooler with the possibility for a couple of showers,” Walker said.
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