Fires cause Arizona natives to watch wind patterns as flames continue

The northern Arizona city of Flagstaff is synonymous with mountains — lush with ponderosa pines, meadows and hiking trails that are a respite from the desert heat farther south.

Now, parts of them are burning yet again, fanned by winds that pushed one fire through more than 27 square miles (70 square kilometers). Winds moderated Tuesday after a day of red flag conditions, which could help firefighters get a better handle on a blaze that has largely spared homes but made a run into a wilderness area and reached a lava dome volcano.

“They’re optimistic to make some headway,” fire information officer Cathie Pauls said Tuesday.

CALIFORNIA, ARIZONA WILDFIRES FORCE EVACUATIONS AS WILDFIRES BURN

Residents around the city looked toward the mountains as smoke billowed through the air and winds howled early this week, some scared, some nervous — most hoping that moisture in the forecast late this week brings some relief.

“We’re most definitely dry,” said Flagstaff resident Colin Challifour. “The forests are dry. It’s unfortunate. You don’t like to see it.”

Authorities downgraded evacuation orders Tuesday but people in about 700 homes still were under orders to stay out of the area, the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office said. Another 280 homes have been evacuated because of another wildfire that’s burned 4 square miles (11 square kilometers) on the outskirts of Flagstaff in a more remote area.

One home and a secondary structure have been destroyed in the larger fire, the sheriff’s office said. Wildfires have also forced evacuations in California and New Mexico.

In northern Arizona, Coconino County declared an emergency because of the wildfire.

Fire incident commander Aaron Graeser said the big Flagstaff-area blaze is one of the top priorities in the country for firefighting resources.

Wildfires broke out early this spring in multiple states in the Western U.S., where climate change and an enduring drought are fanning the frequency and intensity of forest and grassland fires. A springtime fire outside Flagstaff destroyed more than two dozen homes. Most of the residents who evacuated then are out of their homes again because of this latest wildfire.

The number of square miles burned so far this year is more than double the 10-year national average, and states like New Mexico have already set records with devastating blazes…