I remember spending the winter of 1985/86 at the U.S. Forest Service's Ft. Valley Experimental Station, about 10 miles, or so, NW of Flagstaff, and learning just how vulnerable the northern Arizona Ponderosa Pine forest was to wildfire. The Eagle Rock fire isn't all that far away from Ft. Valley. The Hardy fire was in populated areas just outside of town. Scary!
New Mexico is experiencing fires as well (e.g., South Fork; Tecolote).
The best of luck to everyone in the Southwest!:
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) - A California man was arrested Sunday on suspicion of leaving behind hot coals at a campsite just outside Flagstaff, sparking a wildfire that forced the evacuation of 170 homes and a hotel near downtown, a city spokeswoman said.
...Authorities said he was camping in a wooded area a couple of miles from downtown when he built a small campfire Saturday for either cooking or making coffee. Investigators believe he dumped coals from the fire on the ground before leaving the site.
...The wildfire quickly spread up a hill and threatened homes in two neighborhoods. Evacuation orders for 170 homes remained in place Sunday, and a park and popular bike trail were closed as a precaution, Coconino County spokeswoman Joanne Keene said. The Little America Hotel also was briefly evacuated.
...Crews worked overnight and Sunday to establish a perimeter around the 350-acre fire, mop up some hot spots and protect structures. But Keene said fire officials have not declared any part of the blaze contained.
"The winds are expected to pick up and the latest I've heard is about 30 mph, so we're concerned about that," she said.
The fire sent smoke through parts of Flagstaff and caused traffic to back up on Interstate 40. Authorities said no homes or buildings had been burned.
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