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Posts Tagged ‘Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest’

Wallow Fire Now Largest in Arizona History

Posted by feww on June 10, 2011

Wallow Fire grows to more than ½ million acres [Fire-Earth estimate]

Wallow Fire Progression Map – June 9, 2011


Click image to enlarge. Source: Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests Other Sizes: Large (665 x 1024)   Original size (3203 x 4930)

Hazard Mapping System for Fire and Smoke [June 9-10, 2011]


Current HMS Analysis, Source: NOAA

Analyzed Fires from Satellites – June 10, 2011


Source: NOAA. Click image to enlarge.

Official Stats
(Posted on June 9, 2011, at 7:52 p.m) This is an official update on the structure assessment for Greer:

The Wallow Fire Structure Assessment Team has completed its work in Greer. The team reports that 22 homes were destroyed, 5 homes damaged and 24 outbuildings and 1 truck destroyed. The Apache County Sheriff is still in the process of tracking and notifying the property owne[rs]

Current Evacuations

  • Full evacuations for Eagar, Springerville, Sunrise, Greer, Blue River, Alpine, Nutrioso, and the following subdivisions along highways 180/191: Escudilla Mountain Estates, Bonita, White Mtn. Acres, and the H-V Ranch. This area includes County Roads 4000, 4001, and 4225.
  • The evacuation center is located at Blue Ridge High School, 1200 W. White Mtn. Blvd., Pinetop-Lakeside.

Wallow Fire summary

  • Date Started: 5/29/2011
  • Location: south and west of Alpine, Arizona
  • Number of Personnel: Approximately 3,012, Including 24 hotshot crews and 79 handcrews
  • Equipment: 18 dozers, 197 engines, 61 tenders
  • Size: 386,690 acres based on last night’s [June 8 MST] infrared flight
  • Aircraft: 16 helicopters
  • Percent Contained: 5%
  • Cause: Human – under investigation
  • Injuries to Date: 3 minor injuries
  • Residences: 5,242 threatened, 29 destroyed, 5 damaged
  • Structures: 24 destroyed
  • Other: 1 truck destroyed

Wallow Fire summary (Posted on June 8, 2011, at 11:43 p.m.)

  • Size:  389,000 acres
  • Structures:  588 threatened; 1 damaged; 11 lost

“Fire Information Officer Kelly Wood said Thursday’s count is the acreage actually burned within the fire’s perimeter and does not include unburned stands or islands of vegetation that could reignite later,” a report said.

Wallow Fire: A major contributor of carbon monoxide pollution over North America


“This map, made with data from the Measurements of Pollution in the Troposphere (MOPITT) sensor on the Terra satellite, shows carbon monoxide concentrations over the United States and southern Canada between May 25 and June 8. Dark red pixels reveal high concentrations.” Source: NASA-EO. Click image to enlarge.


Smoke from Wallow Fire, as well as other wildfires in Arizona, New Mxico, Texas and elsewhere, continued traveling toward the northeast on June 8, 2011, when MODIS on the Terra satellite captured this photo-like image at 12:10 CDT. A thick band of smoke covered a large area stretching from New Mexico and Texas to Illinois.  Source: NASA-EO. Click image to enlarge. Download largest image (12 MB, JPEG).\

Air pollutants from wildfires and human activities could harm tens of millions of people.

Hourly Ozone Map (June 9, 2011 animation)

Hourly Ozone and PM2.5 Map (June 9, 2011 animation)


IMG_0159. Night burnout operations help strengthen fireline.

Credit: US Forest Service, Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest

Other Major Fires in Arizona

(Posted June 9, 2011,at 10:03 p.m.The Horseshoe 2 Fire is approximated 128,652 acres and is estimated 40 percent contained. Extreme fire behavior and steep canyon terrain continued to cause erratic winds and difficult conditions on the fire.

 Fire Facts:

  • Date started: May 8, 2011
  • Location: Portal, Arizona
  • Estimated Containment: June 22, 2011
  • Number of Personnel: 1,054
  • Crews: 9 Type 1 and 19 Type 2
  • Engines: 46
  • Dozers: 3
  • Cause: Human
  • Water Tenders: 34
  • Helicopters: 4 Type 1, 1 Type 2 and 2 Type 3
  • Total structures destroyed:  23
  • Cost to Date: $33,518,673

(Source:  Rocky Basin 2 Incident Management Team)

Murphy Complex (Includes the Murphy Fire and Pajarita Fire) summary (Posted June 9, 2011, at 9:58 a.m.)

  • Time/Date Started: 3:28 pm, May 30, 2011
  • Location:Nogales Ranger District in the Coronado National Forest 5 miles east of Arivaca, Ariz., and four miles west of Tubac, Arizona
  • Cause: Human-caused. Under investigation.
  • Fuels: Grass, shrub, oak, mesquite
  • Size: 67,525 acres
  • Percent Contained: 75%
  • Estimated Cost to Date: $4,077,000
  • Resources Threatened: Areas surrounding Ruby Road.
  • Structures Lost: Historic Atascosa Lookout Tower in the Atascosa Mountains and an outhouse at Pena Blanca Lake.
  • Resources Committed: 348 fire personnel, Two Type 1 crews, four Type 2 crews, seven helicopters, 10 engines, five water tenders.
  • Cooperating Agencies: USDA Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, Arizona State Forestry Division, Arivaca Fire District, Elephant Head Volunteer Fire Department, Patagonia Volunteer Fire Department, Rio Rico Fire District, Tubac Fire District, U.S. Border Patrol, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

(Source: Northern Arizona Incident Management Team)


This image from NASA’s Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) instrument on the Terra spacecraft show the Wallow and Horseshoe 2 Fires currently burning in Arizona. The data were acquired mid-morning June 7, 2011. www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/fires/main/usa/index.html


The Wallow Fire is consuming large sections of the Apache National Forest. This image shows the northern edge of the fire as seen by Landsat-7 satellite on June 7, 2011.   “The image was made with infrared light. Bright red spots are actively burning areas, and darker red areas are freshly burned ground. Unburned forest and grassland is green, while sparsely planted earth or bare ground is pale pink. In many places, the fire has burned right to the edge of the forest.” Source: NASA-EO. Click image to enlarge.  Download largest image (2 MB, JPEG)  

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Post updated at 07:20UTC on June 10, 2011

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Wallow Fire Set to Become Largest in Arizona History

Posted by feww on June 8, 2011

RECORD-BREAKING WILDFIRE 

Wallow Fire could grow to about 470,000 acres by late Wednesday June 8 MST [FIRE-EARTH forecast]

By 1 PM Wednesday June 8, 2011 the fire had consumed at least 400,000 acres, mostly in the Apache National Forest.

The largest fire in Arizona history was the 2001 Rodeo-Chediski Fire which consumed 469,000 acres.

Wallow Fire Map (June 8, 2011)


Click image to enlarge. Source: Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests
Other Sizes:
Large (665 x 1024)   Original size (3203 x 4930)

Hazard Mapping System for Fire and Smoke [June 8-9, 2011]


Current HMS Analysis, Source: NOAA

Analyzed Fires from Satellites – June 9, 2011


Source: NOAA. Click image to enlarge.

A Burning Forest


Wallow Fire consuming Apache National Forest. All rights reserved by Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests

Wallow Fire, Arizona Satellite Image 


This image was taken by MODIS on the Aqua satellite at 1:25 pm MST (UTC -7 hrs) on June 8, 2011. Source: NASA-EO. Click image to enlarge.

Smoke Hazard

Smoke from the Wallow Fire has been affecting the air quality through much of the U.S. and has become a major health issue over a vast region. Photo:  All rights reserved by Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests. Original Size (5184 x 3456)

Midwest Blanketed by Smoke from Wallow Fire  


A dense band of smoke extended from Texas to Nebraska when MODIS on the Terra satellite took this image at 11:05 am MST on June 7, 2011.  Source: NASA-EO. Click image to enlarge

Air Quality Monitor


Springerville PM10 Concentration. The Department of Environmental Quality has placed Particulate Matter-2.5 air quality monitors in Springerville and St. Johns. The latest data and smoke health effects of hourly readings can accessed for Springerville at http://tinyurl.com/3znq24z and for St. Johns at http://tinyurl.com/3vzz59a.

Latest Bulletin Issued by Arizona State
(Posted June 8, 2011, at 12:08 pm MST) Last night, the lower winds, higher humidity, and cooler temperatures enabled firefighters to conduct burnout operations to reinforce fire line on the Wallow Fire.

To the north and east, crews constructed 10 miles of line using bulldozers and burnout operations outside of Eagar and Springerville.

Extreme fire behavior is predicted again today due to the forecast high winds and low humidity. Red Flag Warnings are still in effect for the area. Spot fires are occurring up to 3 miles ahead of the fire.

Today’s firefighter activities include: burnout operations, building fire line, perimeter control, structure protection, and patrolling for spot fires.

Current Evacuations

  • Effective Immediately: Further evacuations have been ordered by the Apache County Sheriff’s Office for all the areas south of Hwy 260 and east of Greer, including South Fork and portions of Eagar.  Hwy 260 will remain open for the evacuation and will be closed immediately after the evacuation.
  • Sunrise, Greer, Blue River, Alpine, Nutrioso, and the following subdivisions along highways 180/191: Escudilla Mountain Estates, Bonita, White Mtn. Acres, and the H-V Ranch. This area includes CR 4000, CR 4001, and CR 4225
  • The evacuation site is located at; Blue Ridge High School located at 1200 W. White Mtn. Blvd., Pinetop/Lakeside

Pre-Evacuation Alerts

  • Pre-evacuation alert issued by Apache County Sheriff’s Office for Springerville and portions of Eager.
  • Pre-evacuation alert issued by Catron County Sheriff’s Office for Luna, New Mexico.
  • Residents in the communities affected by this fire are asked to remain prepared in the event an order is needed.

Residents with livestock or animals that need care, please contact the Apache County Sheriff’s Office (928) 337-4321or the Greenlee County Sheriff’s Office (928) 865-4149.

A community meeting is being held at the Round Valley High School Auditorium Wednesday at 6:00p.m.

Public Information Centers are located at:

Arizona

  • Springerville Post Office
  • Springerville Forest Ranger District Office
  • Springerville Primary School
  • Springerville Middle School
  • Wallow Fire Incident Command Post

New Mexico

  • Quemado
  • Luna

Due to extreme fire conditions, the Apache National Forest is closed to all public entry.  See website for closure order details.  Please see the Forest website for more information: http://www.fs.fed.us/r3/asnf/

A Temporary Emergency Closure Order for the Apache National Forest was issued effective June 3 at 12:00 p.m. (noon).  For more information, please call the Arizona fire restrictions hotline 1-877-864-6985 or visit http://www.wildlandfire.az.gov/.

Wallow Fire summary:

  • Date Started: 5/29/2011
    Number of Personnel:
      Approximately 1,943, including 23 hotshot crews and 27 handcrews
  • Location: south and west of Alpine, Arizona
  • Cause: Human – under investigation
  • Equipment: 9 dozers, 119 engines, 26 watertenders
  • Size:  389,000 acres
  • Aircraft:  14 helicopters
  • Percent Contained: 0%
  • Injuries to Date: none
  • Structures:  588 threatened; 1 damaged; 11 lost 

(Source: Southwest Incident Type-1 Incident Management Team)
UPDATES hopefully Available at Emergency Bulletins 

Arizona Forests and Govt Websites

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Arizona’s Wallow Fire Grew by 61 pct

Posted by feww on June 7, 2011

Arizona’s Wallow Fire May Become the State’s 2nd Largest Today

The mega blaze in Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest (eastern Arizona) has grown from just under 144,000 acres to about  233,000 acres, a rise of more than 61 percent in less than 24 hours, forcing thousands of people from their homes and casting a thick smoky haze over a large region as far away as Iowa.

Arizona Gov. (Jan Brewer) declared a state of emergency retroactive to May 29 in Apache and Greenlee Counties in response to the out-of-control Wallow Fire, which had  grown to 233,522 acres in size as of Monday afternoon June 6, 2011.

FIRE-EARTH estimates that under the current conditions the mega blaze could grow by about 40 percent to 326,000 acres today.

Fires and Smoke Satellite Analysis: North America


Source: NOAA. Click images to enlarge.


Click image to enlarge closeup view.


HMS Fire and Smoke Analysis released June 7, 2011. Click images to enlarge. Source: NESDIS


Wallow Fire.
Photo by Tam Altaha/@TamAltaha


Map of Wallow Fire. Click image to enlarge. [Full Size]

Other Details

  • NO serious injuries reported, as of posting.
  • Up to a dozen structure, mostly cabins, have been destroyed.
  • Evacuations have been ordered in mountain town of Greer.
  • The towns of Blue and Luna in New Mexico are being  evacuated(?)
  • At least 2,515 firefighters are deployed (the number of personnel has doubled since 4 days ago).
  • About 3,000 residents of the towns of Alpine and Nutrioso have been evacuated.
  • The fire has forced the closure of the Apache National Forest.
  • Other towns and communities near the New Mexico border which have been evacuated include Bonita, Dog Patch, Escudilla Bonita, White Mountain Acres, H Bar Ranch and Bar Flying Ranch.
  • The Wallow Fire, currently Arizona’s third largest wildfire, started on May 29. It has grown rapidly since and could become the state’s 2nd largest by this afternoon.
  • The largest fire in Arizona history  was the 2001 Rodeo-Chediski Fire which consumed 469,000 acres.
  • The 2nd largest blaze, the 2005  Cave Creek fire near Phoenix, burned 248,000 acres.

Other Major Wildfires in Arizona

  • The Horseshoe Two fire. The blaze started May 8 and has burned at least 100,000 acres, currently 55 percent contained at a cost of about $30 million.
  •  Murphy fire. The blaze has burned about 37,566 acres near Tubac, and is less than 15 percent contained.
  • Arlene fire. The large fire in Coronado National Forest has burned 10,610 acres.

Wallow Fire Satellite Images (NASA/MODIS)


 June 6, 2011


June 5, 2011


The Wallow Fire (lower left corner of the image) – Natural color/MODIS/ NASA/Terra/ June 5, 2011. “Smoke from an Arizona wildfire spanned multiple states in early June 2011. … the Wallow Fire pushed air quality to unhealthy levels as far east as Alabama and Georgia. Closer to the source of the fire, thick smoke traveled across Colorado and into Nebraska.” Source: NASA-EO 

United States Wildfire MAP

GEOMAC Wildfire Viewer

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