FLAGSTAFF, Ariz.—For the second time in less than two months, thousands of Flagstaff residents fled their homes in the face of yet another devastating wildfire.
“We cope. God says, ‘Here you are. Do what you need to do,’ ” said Percy Piestewa, whose family lost property in the Tunnel Fire in mid-April.
That blaze burned nearly 20,000 acres of the Coconino National Forest 14 miles northeast of Flagstaff, an area that overlaps the 2010 Schulz Wildfire burn scar.
“The [Tunnel Fire] took all our storage sheds, our boat trailer—everything that was up on the north side. But that’s the hazards of fire,” she told The Epoch Times.
“There are hazards in floods. There are hazards in living. You’ve got to be flexible.”
Fortunately for Piestewa and family member Brandon Whiterock of Flagstaff, both escaped the Pipeline Fire unharmed with their belongings.
“Luckily, we have friends in town that we’re staying with now. That’s the good part of living in Flagstaff 10-plus years,” Whiterock told The Epoch Times.
Whiterock said the Tunnel Fire’s path went straight through his family’s property in the Timberline area, burning five sheds.
He considers his family lucky the fire didn’t burn down their house.
Whiterock said that the area is more susceptible to wildfires because of dry weather, so he was “already expecting something to happen” when the Pipeline Fire struck.
“We already packed our bags and got our animals out of the way,” he said. “Honestly, it’s all about the people. I’m just glad nobody was injured.
“The housing sucks for the short term, but in the long term, it’s about people’s lives.”
On June 14, plumes of smoke from the Pipeline Fire cast a dense haze across the San Francisco Mountain peaks that dominate Flagstaff’s skyline.
Smoke from other nearby wildfires—the Haywire Fire and Double Fire—could also be seen rising in the distance. Both fires burned nearly 2,000 acres before merging.
Officials say the Pipeline Fire has destroyed nearly 23,000 acres, including a home and an outbuilding. The Pipeline/Haywire fires are at roughly 22 percent containment when combined.
Coconino County law enforcement officers arrested a 57-year-old man suspected of starting the fire while burning toilet paper. He now faces conservation resource violation charges.
Officials said much of the Pipeline Fire’s burn area contains pine, grass, and brush. It was still slow going with high winds for the 270 personnel battling the wildfires as of June 14.
At Casey’s Processing, about two miles from the Pipeline Fire, employee Casey Poquette said the company evacuated a few days earlier.
“They let us come back today. We’re far enough away where we don’t have to worry [but] something needs to change, that’s for sure,” Poquette told The Epoch Times.
On June 14, members of the Coconino County Board of Supervisors and state and federal agencies updated residents on fire containment efforts at a community meeting in Flagstaff.
Board of Supervisors member Patrice Horstman acknowledged that after two major wildfires in less than two months, people are “emotionally exhausted.”
“The fire is not over. There’s still work to be done out there,” said Stephen Fillmore, commander of the California Interagency Incident Team crew managing the fire.
James Pettit, fire staff officer for the Coconino National Forest, said Stage 2 restrictions banning campfires are currently in effect.
However, he said that the U.S. Forest Service would need government approval to implement Stage 3 restrictions to close the public forest.
“It takes once in a wind event” to start a wildfire, Pettit said. “When a wind event happens, it pulls a lot of tools out of our toolbox for the suppression.”
Brian Klimowski, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Flagstaff, said weekend weather conditions would be moister, less windy, and less favorable to wildfires.
Officials say they’re mainly concerned about potential flooding in the burn areas with the arrival of monsoon season in late June.
Coconino County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Bret Axlund said 1,584 residents remain on active SET status to prepare for evacuation, and 3,779 homes have evacuated since the fire began.
He said that 281 residents in 338 homes evacuated for the Haywire Fire.
Kim Musselman, director of Coconino County Health and Human Services, outlined the physical and mental health resources available to impacted residents.
“This just adds another layer of trauma,” Musselman said.
The Red Cross set up an evacuation center, and the county humane shelter began taking livestock and pets in the wake of the Pipeline Fire.
On June 13, Flagstaff Mayor Paul Deasy declared a state of emergency in light of the fire’s spread.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency also authorized Arizona’s request to use federal funds to battle the blaze.
Arizona State Rep. Walt Blackman (R) said in a June 15 statement his “thoughts and prayers go out to the families in Coconino County affected by the Pipeline Fire, as well as to the brave firefighting crews and personnel who are courageously working to bring it under control.”
“In addition to monitoring this situation closely, I will be reaching out to the Governor’s office to recommend a declaration of a state of emergency if conditions worsen.”
Piestewa lamented that it only takes one careless person to affect an entire community.
“You can have 99 percent of people who follow all the rules, and it takes a certain person who decides they don’t want to follow them. It impacts the whole community,” Piestewa said.
