Regional Talk > Southwest Chat > [ARIZONA] wallow fire complex

[ARIZONA] wallow fire complex

What's happening there just gives me the chills. So many people evacuated at this point and no one can even guess when they will gain control over this massive blaze. The loss to the forest is immense and will take many lifetimes to rebuild to say nothing of that which burns in the way of buildings. About all that's good with this fire is that so far, no one has been injured or died. It certainly looks as if it will catch up with Rodeo-Chedesky all too soon and God only knows beyond that. And, the smoke is totally playing havoc as far away East as Minnesota. Amazing and sickening, literally.
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JKK

Age is a very high price to pay for my maturity. If I can't stay young, I can at least stay immature!

»www.pbase.com/jaykaykay

there is also very little reported structure loss. the firefighter teams have done an amazing job at the urban/wildland interface level. however, in protected these homes -- they are taking resources away from trying to set prevention ahead of the blaze. i know the winds they are dealing with -- coupled with high pressure gradients and glaciated tracts leading off the mountain into the valleys -- makes for crazy gusts (upwards of 70mph+). the fire is going where it wants to at this point.

it *will* be the largest fire in az history.

q.
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"...if I in my north room dance naked, grotesquely before my mirror waving my shirt round my head and singing softly to myself..."

orders just came out to evac the south half of the town -- my mom has to abandon my childhood home.

the city will burn. its going to do whatever it wants. the awesome power of this fire is insane.

q.
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"...if I in my north room dance naked, grotesquely before my mirror waving my shirt round my head and singing softly to myself..."

I do hope not. I am sorry about your mom and boyhood home both. They also just said that the rest of the town would have to be evacuated soon too and highway 60 will then be closed. This kind of thing is what gives 'wild fire' the name. It is totally wild and seems to be on a horrible rampage. One would hope that if it was started by some idiot leaving a camp fire not completely out, they find them. That will not stop the next idiot though. Such a damned shame,
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JKK

Age is a very high price to pay for my maturity. If I can't stay young, I can at least stay immature!

»www.pbase.com/jaykaykay

yes. the whole town will be evacuated. my facebook page has been blowing up with pictures of the fire (i'm in california on business). one of my best friends is on the line with a hot shot crew down by luna. he's admitted that they can't do much. they doze line way ahead of the fire, have to pull out before they can finish, then watch it just laugh and step over the line and keep burning.
i hope they can contain it before it hits the majority of town. after it drops out of the mountains -- it'll hit a grassland and just carry for miles; having a hot burning forest fire on one arm, and a flash-moving grassfire on the other -- and thats just the north side.

damned shame is right. damned shame...

q.
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"...if I in my north room dance naked, grotesquely before my mirror waving my shirt round my head and singing softly to myself..."

Sorry to hear about you losing your childhood home.

I do hope that in the future, the U.S. Forest Service will seriously reconsider their policy on putting out every fire, every time. Not letting Mother Nature do her thing by getting rid of dead trees and overgrowth has lead to fires of this magnitude.

I remember the Rodeo-Chediski from 2002. I have a feeling that this fire (Wallow) will easily surpass it.
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Rakkasan!

reply to tubbynet
Most of AZ population hardly leaves Phoenix and if they do it is on a three day weekend holiday like amateur time.
Politicians care more about illegals than the forest. No it could not have been prevented. Thing is there are ways to mitigate damage if taken ahead of time but no one cared and cut budgets while throwing money at stupid stuff.

reply to jaykaykay

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JKK

Age is a very high price to pay for my maturity. If I can't stay young, I can at least stay immature!

»www.pbase.com/jaykaykay

just a quick update --
it looks like there were a few structures lost overnight in greer. the winds died down last night and today and it seems to have allowed fire crews to gain a small victory. preliminary reports cite 5% containment and a briefing tonight mentioned the residents of springerville/eagar may be allowed to return by saturday. official reports cite over 386k acres.

the fire will have quite an effect on the area for many years to come. the very interesting part will be this years rainy season (due to start in july). the loss of the grasslands and trees will cause extreme flooding in these areas. it will be one bad thing after another.

q.
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"...if I in my north room dance naked, grotesquely before my mirror waving my shirt round my head and singing softly to myself..."

reply to tubbynet

Re: [ARIZONA] wallow fire complex

reply to tubbynet
You are so right about the rains to come and the difficulty that may cause on top of everything else. I recall, all too well, the fire and then rain and flooding in Flagstaf.

reply to tubbynet
Here in the Midwest we would be glad to lend you our giant rain cloud that has been covering us for the last 3 months, only problem is we don't know how to move it. If you have any clues it's all yours free of charge.
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In need of a Vegas vacation.

reply to tubbynet
Estimated at 430,000 acres now and still only 5% contained.

»www.cnn.com/2011/US/06/11/arizon···pt=hp_t1

Definitely closing in on the Rodeo-Chediski fire (468,638 acres).
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Rakkasan!

reply to tubbynet
The size is of small state back east. We have a governor that is out of any touch with out regions in the state or any thing else but an agenda.

Dry state governor get with the forest service and shut down any camping fires and shove a little money into instant response stuff. Try to prevent. But let holiday people do as need. Burn down small state is nothing. After a weekend a to late it is an emergency. Small fire is an emergency she should have screamed for help and declared an emergency within a day or so. Not a weekend wait or so.
Kindling. But wait as well dry kindling is not her thing. You not me voted her in. Get her ot now before more damage.
I truly think she would have thrown in resources or forced the government to if she cared. These are my words and I will never run against the Sheriff of Maricopa as he is even more legendary.
Politics in Az sucks and kills the state. Dry you do not camp or fires. Keep out. Plus state force government hot shot crews. A day or two on a fire it is gone.
But it is only a forest for camping. Our governor is worried about the small towns and houses. We had a state or more burned up in fun camping and getting out area.
Does she care. I want an answer and a true one. May or may not believe it. Doubt i will. I want pictures of where she went in the before burned out area or of any AZ outback before the fire. Any where she saw AZ. Small ugly restraunt a person she meet beyond the town meeting.
And most would send their son to prison before Az state hospital unless he is treated special. If treated special she is having the state pay.
If not treated special then she has given up. So given up as let the fires burn. Let AZ burn as she is still governor no fast response no care for us as a state. zilch.

Gov. Jan Brewer has no control over the US Forest Service. It is a Federal entity, not a state one.
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Rakkasan!

And when the rains hit, watch out for flooding since there won't be anything there to soak up the water.
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Rakkasan!