In the last 20 years, this is the most catastrophic event the county has seen as far as home loss or damage to property. A large wildfire in north-central Arizona damaged or destroyed at least 41 homes. Dubbed the Tinder Fire, the blaze was started by an illegal abandoned campfire. By Thursday morning, the Tinder Fire had burned nearly 18 square miles in Arizona’s Coconino National Forest. The inferno is 12 percent contained, and rapid growth near residential areas forced officials to evacuate about 1,000 homes in several Coconino County neighborhoods. A state of emergency was approved Monday by Gov. Doug Ducey.
Officials announced Thursday morning that a large wildfire burning in north-central Arizona is going out of control, damaging or even destroying at least 41 homes,
This morning, the so-called Tinder Fire had burned nearly 18 square miles in Arizona’s Coconino National Forest and was only 12 percent contained. Its rapid growth near residential areas forced officials to evacuate about 1,000 homes in several Coconino County neighborhoods.
The fire’s progress was slowed by improving weather conditions on Wednesday, including snowfall as temperatures plunged.
“In the last 20 years, this is the most catastrophic event the county has seen as far as home loss or damage to property,” Coconino County spokesman Matt Rudig told the Arizona Daily Sun.
Residents are now waiting for word that they’re free to return home, as evacuation orders remain in effect. Officials plan to allow those whose homes were damaged or destroyed first, then the staged reentry will be expanded to include everyone else. Most of the homes burned by the wildfire were not primary residences.
Nearly 700 firefighters and personnel are assigned to battle the Tinder Fire, which was sparked east of Clints Well on Friday. The inferno was sparked by an abandoned campfire in an area where burning was banned because of the dangerous fire conditions
And Arizona is not the only state that is currently burning. Oklahoma is currently struggling with several wildfires since mid April resulting in Oklahoma’s governor, Mary Fallin, calling a state of emergency in 52 counties. With more than a billion dead trees Colorado is an accident just waiting to happen! Last year was the worst year ever for wildfires in North America. What about 2018?