Those wild fires in Arizona are getting out of hand

[malaise]

http://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/comment.html?entrynum=1820
<snip>
Smoke from Arizona's second largest fire on record, the massive Wallow fire near the New Mexico border, has now blown downwind over 1,500 miles to the Northeast U.S. The fire, which is 0% contained, is expected to rage full-force for at least another day due to unfavorable weather. Hot, dry, and windy weather is predicted again today over Eastern Arizona, where NOAA has issued red flag warnings for critical fire conditions. A large trough of low pressure is anchored over the Southwest, and a disturbance rippling along this trough will bring strong southwesterly surface winds of 20 - 25 mph, with gusts near 35 mph today to eastern Arizona. Extremely low humidities of 5 - 15% and hot summer temperatures are also expected, creating a dangerous fire weather situation. Yesterday, Luna, New Mexico, located about 50 miles northeast of the fire, had wind gusts in excess of 20 mph for 9 hours, temperatures near 80°F, and humidities as low as 7%. The fire grew from 300 square miles on Sunday to 365 square miles on Monday and 487 square miles Tuesday--about 40% of the size of Rhode Island. A separate fire burning in Southeast Arizona, the 166-square-mile Horseshoe Two fire, is the state's 5th largest fire on record. Winds are expected to diminish for Thursday and Friday, which should allow firefighters to make headway controlling the blazes. According to the Interagency Fire Center, 3.5 million acres have burned in the U.S. so far this year, the most on record for this early in the year--and more than double the 10-year average from 2001 - 2010 of 1.4 million acres. Extreme to exceptional drought conditions over most of Texas, New Mexico, and Eastern Arizona are largely responsible for the record fire season.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2011/06/08/137054568/no-end-in-sight-for-arizona-fires-389-000-acres-scorched

<snip>
The wildfire blazing in northeast Arizona is now the second-largest in state history and there's no end in sight, The Arizona Republic reports this morning.

According to the Republic, the Wallow Fire is "growing by the hour, leapt farther north Tuesday and has now consumed about 389,000 acres."
This satellite image from NASA's MODIS Land Rapid Response Team shows the fires in red, along the Arizona border with New Mexico (the line just to the right of the red marks that pinpoint the flames), and the smoke billowing to the northeast. It was taken Monday.
Jeff Schmaltz/MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC

The Associated Press says the fire "has burned 486 square miles of ponderosa pine forest, driven by wind gusts of more than 60 mph, since it was sparked May 29 by what authorities believe was an unattended campfire. now more than twice the size of Chicago." Crews are working to keep the fire from getting to the towns of Edgar and Springerville, Ariz.

[Ptah]

1. Here's a day-to-day map of this devastation

http://www.azcentral.com/news/wildfires/wallow/wallow-fire-timeline.php

[CaliforniaPeggy]

4. Thank you for that, my dear Ptah...

I clicked on the buttons, and watched in horror as the fire grew under my gaze.

It is amazing how rapidly it's spreading.

Now I understand where our expression "spreading like wildfire" comes from. :scared:

[dixiegrrrrl]

8. Very handy interactive map to help me understand the location and spread of the fire.

Now I can clearly see how close the Arizona fire is to NM.
and how isolated and cut off those small towns are.

[Rex]

12. Holy cats!!!

O_O

[RebelOne]

13. That is so scary!! n/t

[malaise]

15. Amazing - thanks

:hi:

[CaliforniaPeggy]

2. How horrifying.

That horse looks so damn vulnerable.

:(

[lonestarnot]

3. Getting? You got the rain Malaise, we got the fire.

[pansypoo53219]

5. i read a warning about this happeneing years ago in i am quite

sure in the washington monthly. it was my last subscription magazine. ok. 1st year of RADAR. but it also warned me of DIRIVATIVES years before 2008 and the bullshit of 401k's vs pensions.

[amborin]

6. in New Mexico:

from the ny times

[theophilus]

7. I realize this is spewing greenhouse gases, but the Earth is going to

moderate our mistakes one way or another. If Nature has to drown cities, burn cars, destroy buildings it will do so. In the long run the CO2 emissions will reverse and moderate. In the long run we'll all be dead, as well. We should choose to reduce or impact on the climate and even work to bring back the climate we have prospered in, imo. It will happen, eventually, one way or the other. We just won't enjoy the transitions.

[Ptah]

9. Wallow Fire nears electric transmission lines

http://azstarnet.com/news/local/wildfire/article_37a48032-9225-11e0-b762-001cc4c03286.html


SPRINGERVILLE - A raging forest fire in eastern Arizona that has forced
thousands from their homes headed Wednesday for a pair of transmission
lines that supply electricity to hundreds of thousands of people as far east as Texas.

The 607-square-mile blaze is expected to reach the power lines as early as
Friday. If the lines are damaged, parts of New Mexico and Texas could face rolling blackouts.

For now, firefighters who have helped keep the flames away from several towns
in eastern Arizona are concerned that high winds expected later Wednesday could
carry embers that can cause new, smaller spot fires.

"We have a lot of people out there who are going to be doing nothing but
looking for spots and putting those things out if they see them," fire information
officer Jim Whittington said.

[Obamanaut]

10. B.I. L. is a retired Florida forester. He was asked to go to the Texas fires

a few weeks ago, so he did. He's 70, diabetic, with a pacemaker so he gave mostly administrative support to free up a more 'able' firefighter.

Came home after three weeks looking very tired, but had a lot of pics.

[Phentex]

11. kick

:kick:

[malaise]

14. Arizona fires continue to spread

http://www.propertycasualty360.com/2011/06/09/arizona-wildfires-spread-town-of-greer-overrun
<snip>

Arizona wildfires continue to spread unabated as officials say the Wallow fire has moved through the town of Greer, but there is hope some progress to contain the fire will be made today.

Three major fires in the state have consumed close to 500,000 acres. The largest, the Wallow fire remains uncontained, burning more than 300,000 acres, says the National Interagency Fire Center, resulting in numerous evacuations.

The fire is in the eastern portion of the state in the Apache National Forest area along the New Mexico border.
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