April 20 (Reuters) – A forest fire in Arizona nearly tripled on Wednesday after burning dozens of structures and forcing thousands to flee their homes in a drought-stricken rural area.
The fire, called the Tunnel Fire, spread northeast over uninhabited hills and valleys 14 miles (23 km) north of Flagstaff, Arizona, according to a statement from the U.S. Forest Service.
The blaze burned 16,625 acres, larger than Manhattan, as it moved through the Sunset Crater National Monument, which has a visitor center and hiking trails, the statement said.
Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com
I’m registering
Smoke drifts from a fire in a tunnel north of Flagstaff, Arizona, April 20, 2022. Mark Henle / USA Today Network via REUTERS
Driven by traditional gusts of spring winds, the fire forced more than 2,000 residents to flee their homes, the Coconino County Supervisory Board said.
At least 25 structures were burned after the fire broke through parts of the Wupatki Trails and Timberline Estates communities, which were built in a pine forest, the county sheriff’s office said.
The area is part of the Arizona, New Mexico, Utah and Colorado areas, caught in more than two decades on a largely relentless drought after average temperatures in the area rose by about 1.4 degrees Fahrenheit last century, according to data from the Desert Research Institute and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
About 360 miles east, an elderly couple died at their home in Ruidoso, New Mexico, last week when a wildfire destroyed hundreds of homes and forced thousands to flee the mountain town. Read more
Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com
I’m registering
Report by Brendan O’Brien in Chicago and Andrew Hay in Taos, New Mexico; Edited by Gareth Jones, Nick McPhee and Aurora Ellis
Our standards: Thomson Reuters’ principles of trust.
Add Comment