{"id":40060,"date":"2022-06-13T14:19:25","date_gmt":"2022-06-13T20:19:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/western-wildfires-force-evacuations-in-arizona-california\/"},"modified":"2022-06-13T20:19:25","modified_gmt":"2022-06-13T20:19:25","slug":"western-wildfires-force-evacuations-in-arizona-california","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/western-wildfires-force-evacuations-in-arizona-california\/","title":{"rendered":"Western wildfires force evacuations in Arizona, California"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Janetta
Janetta Kathleen and her horse, Squish, watch as smoke rises above neighborhoods on the outskirts of Flagstaff, Ariz., Sunday, June 12, casts a glow above neighborhoods. Evacuations have been ordered for homes in the area. Authorities say firefighters are responding to the wildfire about six miles north of Flagstaff that has forced evacuations. (AP Photo\/Felicia Fonseca)<\/span>Felicia Fonseca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. \u2013 The Western U.S. on Monday marked another day of hot, dry and windy weather as crews from California to New Mexico battled wildfires that had forced hundreds of people to leave their homes.<\/p>\n

Several hundred homes on the outskirts of Flagstaff, Arizona, were evacuated and the Arizona Snowbowl ski resort was closed as a precaution because of a wildfire \u2013 the second to hit the area this year.<\/p>\n

Crews were expecting gusts of up to 50 mph as they battled the blaze that has burned through parts of the footprint left by another springtime fire that destroyed more than two dozen homes. No homes have been lost in the fire that started Sunday and has burned about 8 square miles.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s literally like d\u00e9j\u00e0 vu,\u201d said Coconino County sheriff\u2019s spokesman Jon Paxton. \u201cWe are in the same exact spot doing the same exact thing as we were a month and a half ago. People are tired.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wildfires broke out early this spring in multiple states in the Western U.S., where climate change and an enduring drought are fanning the frequency and intensity of forest and grassland fires.<\/p>\n

\"A
A firefighter watches as the Sheep Fire burns in Wrightwood, Calif., Sunday, June 12, 2022. (AP Photo\/Ringo H.W. Chiu)<\/span>Ringo H.W. Chiu<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

The number of square miles burned so far this year is more than double the 10-year national average, and states like New Mexico already have set records<\/a> with devastating blazes that have destroyed hundreds of homes while causing environmental damage that is expected to effect future water supplies.<\/p>\n

Nationally, more than 6,200 wildland firefighters were battling nearly three dozen uncontained fires that had charred over 1 million acres, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.<\/p>\n

Even in Alaska, forecasters have warned that many fires in the southwest corner of that state have experienced exceptional growth over the last week, which is unusual for that area. Southwest Alaska normally experiences shorter periods of high fire danger since intermittent rain can provide relief, but since mid-May the region has been hot and windy, helping to dry out vegetation.<\/p>\n

Favorable weather Monday helped slow progression of a tundra wildfire just over 3 miles away from an Alaska Native village. Moderate temperatures and a shift in the wind that had been driving the fire toward St. Mary\u2019s will allow firefighters to directly attack the flames and increase safety protections for the Yup\u2019ik community.<\/p>\n

The lightning-sparked fire is estimated at about 193 square miles. It\u2019s burning in dry grass and shrubs in the mostly treeless tundra in southwest Alaska.<\/p>\n

In California, evacuation orders were in place Monday for remote homes near a wildfire that flared up over the weekend northeast of Los Angeles near the Pacific Crest Trail in the San Gabriel Mountains.<\/p>\n

The blaze saw renewed growth Sunday afternoon and by nighttime had scorched about 1.5 square miles of pine trees and dry brush, officials said.<\/p>\n

Aside from mandatory evacuations for some residents, the remainder of the mountain town of Wrightwood, with about 4,500 residents, was under an evacuation warning. Several roads also were closed.<\/p>\n

To the west in Los Angeles County, firefighters quickly corralled a wildfire that erupted Sunday in foothills above Duarte. No homes were threatened.<\/p>\n

Fire conditions were elevated because of warm and dry weekend weather across Southern California. Monday was expected to be cooler, but another heat wave was expected at midweek, the National Weather Service said.<\/p>\n

In Northern California, a 50-mile stretch of State Route 70 was closed indefinitely on Monday after mud, boulders and dead trees inundated lanes during flash floods along a wildfire burn scar.<\/p>\n

\"The
The moon is seen as the Sheep fire burns in Wrightwood, Calif., Monday, June 13, 2022. (AP Photo\/Ringo H.W. Chiu)<\/span>Ringo H.W. Chiu<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Several drivers were rescued Sunday evening from debris flowing on the highway when hillsides burned bare by last year\u2019s enormous Dixie Fire came loose. No injuries were reported.<\/p>\n

The causes of the latest California fires were under investigation.<\/p>\n

U.S. Forest Service law enforcement officers cited a 57-year-old man for lighting toilet paper on fire and placing it under a rock Saturday while he was camping near the origin of the Arizona wildfire. The fire was reported a day later. Court documents show the man told authorities he tried to put the fire out with his sleeping bag, but his attorney said in federal court Monday that doesn\u2019t mean his client was responsible for sparking the blaze.<\/p>\n

Flagstaff resident Janetta Kathleen rode her horse, Squish, up a hill to get a better look at the wildfire Sunday evening and watched it creep toward homes in the shadow of the mountain. Her home isn\u2019t directly in the fire\u2019s path, but her family, two bulldogs and horses are ready to go at a moment\u2019s notice.<\/p>\n

\u201cI need to know what\u2019s going on because I have decisions to make for my family,\u201d she said. \u201cIf the winds shift, we\u2019ll be in trouble.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"A
A firefighter watches as a helicopter drops water on the Sheep Fire burning in Wrightwood, Calif., Sunday, June 12, 2022. (AP Photo\/Ringo H.W. Chiu)<\/span>Ringo H.W. Chiu<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Hikers, campers and others who were out enjoying the forest also had to leave Sunday. A shelter was set up at a middle school.<\/p>\n

Strong winds sent embers across U.S. Route 89, the main route to the turnoff for the Grand Canyon\u2019s east rim entrance, through the Navajo Nation and up into Utah. Many people commute between the reservation and Flagstaff for work. Parts of the highway remained closed Monday.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re not working directly on suppressing the fire to get the whole thing out right now,\u201d said Coconino National Forest spokesman Brady Smith. \u201cThat\u2019s not our focus and it\u2019s not possible right now. Right now, it\u2019s going to be focused on protecting life and property.\u201d<\/p>\n

Smoke from the fire near Flagstaff caused hazy skies in Colorado on Monday, obscuring views of the Rocky Mountains from Denver and other cities along the state\u2019s Front Range.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, firefighters worked to contain a small wildfire burning in juniper and pinion pine that briefly caused evacuation orders Sunday in the San Luis Valley\u2019s Rio Grande National Forest in southern Colorado.<\/p>\n

The National Weather Service issued red flag warnings<\/a> for high fire danger in central and southern parts of Colorado as well as parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah.<\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

Associated Press writers Christopher Weber in Los Angeles; Mark Thiessen in Anchorage, Alaska; Jim Anderson in Denver; and Susan Montoya Bryan in Albuquerque, New Mexico, contributed to this report.<\/p>\n

\"In
In this photo provided Caltrans, crews work to clear a multiple slides along Highway 70 in the Feather River Canyon near Belden, Calif., Sunday, June 12, 2022. A 50-mile (80-km) stretch of the highway was closed indefinitely on Monday after mud, boulders and dead trees inundated lanes during flash floods along a wildfire burn scar. There was no estimate for when the mountain route might reopen. (Caltrans via AP)<\/span>Josh Dixon<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"The
The Sheep fire burns in Wrightwood, Calif., Monday, June 13, 2022. (AP Photo\/Ringo H.W. Chiu)<\/span>Ringo H.W. Chiu<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"A
A wildfire burning on the outskirts of Flagstaff, Arizona, Sunday, June 12, casts a glow above neighborhoods. Evacuations have been ordered for homes in the area. Authorities say firefighters are responding to the wildfire about six miles north of Flagstaff that has forced evacuations. (AP Photo\/Felicia Fonseca)<\/span>Felicia Fonseca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Residents
Residents watch as smoke rises from the Sheep Fire burning in Wrightwood, Calif., Sunday, June 12, 2022. (AP Photo\/Ringo H.W. Chiu)<\/span>Ringo H.W. Chiu<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"In
In this photo provided Caltrans, crews work to clear a multiple slides along Highway 70 in the Feather River Canyon near Belden, Calif., Sunday, June 12, 2022. A 50-mile (80-km) stretch of the highway was closed indefinitely on Monday after mud, boulders and dead trees inundated lanes during flash floods along a wildfire burn scar. There was no estimate for when the mountain route might reopen. (Caltrans via AP)<\/span>Josh Dixon<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"This
This Friday, June 10, 2022, aerial photo provided by the Bureau of Land Management Alaska Fire Service shows a tundra fire burning near the community of St. Mary's, Alaska. The largest documented wildfire burning through tundra in southwest Alaska was within miles St. Mary's and another nearby Alaska Native village, Pitkas Point, prompting officials Friday to urge residents to prepare for possible evacuation. (Ryan McPherson\/Bureau of Land Management Alaska Fire Service via AP)<\/span>Ryan McPherson<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Janetta
Janetta Kathleen and her horse, Squish, watch as smoke rises above neighborhoods on the outskirts of Flagstaff, Ariz., Sunday, June 12, casts a glow above neighborhoods. Evacuations have been ordered for homes in the area. Authorities say firefighters are responding to the wildfire about six miles north of Flagstaff that has forced evacuations. (AP Photo\/Felicia Fonseca)<\/span>Felicia Fonseca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"A
A wildfire burning on the outskirts of Flagstaff, Arizona, on Sunday, June 12, casts a glow above neighborhoods. Evacuations have been ordered for homes in the area. Authorities say firefighters are responding to the wildfire about six miles north of Flagstaff that has forced evacuations. (AP Photo\/Felicia Fonseca)<\/span>Felicia Fonseca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"This
This June 10, 2022, aerial photo provided by the Bureau of Land Management Alaska Fire Service shows a tundra fire burning near the community of St. Mary's, Alaska. The largest documented wildfire burning through tundra in southwest Alaska was within miles St. Mary's and another nearby Alaska Native village, Pitkas Point, prompting officials Friday to urge residents to prepare for possible evacuation. (Ryan McPherson\/Bureau of Land Management Alaska Fire Service via AP)<\/span>Ryan McPherson<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"In
In this photo provided Caltrans, crews work to clear a multiple slides along Highway 70 in the Feather River Canyon near Belden, Calif., Sunday, June 12, 2022. A 50-mile (80-km) stretch of the highway was closed indefinitely on Monday after mud, boulders and dead trees inundated lanes during flash floods along a wildfire burn scar. There was no estimate for when the mountain route might reopen. (Caltrans via AP)<\/span>Josh Dixon<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"A
A fire engine is seen as the Sheep fire burns in Wrightwood, Calif., Monday, June 13, 2022. (AP Photo\/Ringo H.W. Chiu)<\/span>Ringo H.W. Chiu<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"The
The Sheep fire burns in Wrightwood, Calif., Monday, June 13, 2022. (AP Photo\/Ringo H.W. Chiu)<\/span>Ringo H.W. Chiu<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Wind
Wind whips embers from a power line pole burned by the Sheep fire in Wrightwood, Calif., Monday, June 13, 2022. (AP Photo\/Ringo H.W. Chiu)<\/span>Ringo H.W. Chiu<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"A
A firefighter watches as the Sheep fire burns in Wrightwood, Calif., Monday, June 13, 2022. (AP Photo\/Ringo H.W. Chiu)<\/span>Ringo H.W. Chiu<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Residents
Residents walk by as smoke rises from the Sheep Fire burning in Wrightwood, Calif., Sunday, June 12, 2022. (AP Photo\/Ringo H.W. Chiu)<\/span>Ringo H.W. Chiu<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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