Crew has close call battling Arizona wildfire

MAYER, Ariz. -

A crew battling a nearly 14,000-acre wildfire in communities north of Phoenix had a close call when they were almost trapped by flames that changed directions.

Forest officials say a crew from Kernville, Calif., was working north of the community of Crown King when the wind shifted Sunday and the fire started to flank the firefighters.

The crew was able to move to a safe location and no one was hurt. However, officials say the incident is being reviewed.

Four homes have been destroyed since the fire began a week ago.

It's now 15 percent contained.

In eastern Arizona, the Sunflower Fire south of Payson has burned more than 16,000 acres.

The fire was started on May 12 and is 33 percent contained.

Officials say one firefighter had to treated for multiple bee stings.

© 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Northern AZ wildfire grows, prompts evacuations

CROWN KING, Ariz. (AP) - Firefighters continued to battle a wildfire Monday in northern Arizona that has forced residents from their homes in the historic mining town of Crown King just weeks ahead of the busy tourist season. The fire began on private land Sunday and has burned about 2 square miles as of Monday afternoon, with zero containment. The 1,300-acre, human-caused blaze already has destroyed two buildings and one trailer, Prescott National Forest spokeswoman Debbie Maneely said. The Crown King area remained under a mandatory evacuation order, though authorities said most of the town's 350 residents had chosen to stay in the community of mostly summer homes. Maneely said most residents likely were staying with family and friends. An American Red Cross shelter in Mayer, which is about 24 miles north, had several evacuees, but they had left. Meanwhile, a fire south of Payson was 5 percent contained by Monday evening after charring nearly 5 square miles in the Tonto National Forest. Authorities have yet to determine a cause. The fire, and several others burning in Arizona, follow a warning from state land managers that hot temperatures and dry vegetation have created a very high fire risk in some areas. Crown King is a popular destination for all-terrain vehicles because of its numerous hills and gorges. It is located in the mountains more than 85 miles north of Phoenix. Expected hot and windy weather could make containment difficult, Maneely said. Greg Flores, owner of The Prospector shopping center and president of the Crown King Chamber of Commerce, said he helped a couple and their pug dog flee during a house fire. It wasn't immediately clear if the house was the one where authorities say the wildfire began. "The whole house was fully engulfed," Flores said, adding, "There were flames over 100 feet tall when we got up there." Flores said that the fire had turned a ridge black, destroying much of the forest there. "It's just horrible," Flores said. Flores and his wife had to leave their home around 2 a.m. Monday after ash began raining down. They spent the night on the floor in the store and have since been able to return home. The fire overtook a portion of Crown King Road, making the road to the mountain town inaccessible, a sheriff's office statement said. Flores said most residents own four-wheel-drive vehicles and many were using them to access back roads due to the main road's closure. With more than 400 cabins that draw weekend visitors, Flores said, he's glad this fire didn't break out during the upcoming Memorial Day weekend.

Crews battling Ariz. wildfire brace for high winds

CROWN KING, Ariz. (AP) - High winds could prove a challenge for firefighters battling a northern Arizona wildfire that has forced residents from a historic mining town. Fire spokeswoman Karen Takai said Tuesday winds of 35 mph are expected at the blaze near Crown King that has burned about 2 ½ square miles. Authorities say the 1,600-acre fire started Sunday on private land and remains at zero containment. A Prescott National Forest spokeswoman says the human-caused blaze has destroyed two buildings and one trailer. Crown King remains under a mandatory evacuation order. Fire crews say winds could help clear smoke from this fire and several others in the state that has been shrouding the Phoenix area. Firefighters also are battling a 7-square-mile blaze south of Payson in the Tonto National Forest. Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Several Arizona wildfires keeping crews busy

PAYSON, Ariz. - Crews across Arizona spent the weekend fighting several wildfires, including one south of Payson that had grown to more than 4 square miles and another north of Phoenix that led authorities to order evacuations in a historic mining community. A total of five wildfires in the state had charred more than 9 square miles by late Sunday. The fires follow a recent warning from state land managers that hot May temperatures and dry vegetation have created a very high fire risk in some areas. The Sunflower fire, the state's biggest, was first spotted Saturday morning in Tonto National Forest. It had burned about 3,100 acres in an area about 20 miles south of Payson as hotshot crews, air tankers and helicopters worked to contain it Sunday. It's not threatening any structures. Billowing smoke from that fire and another to the west near Crown King could be seen in Phoenix. The area is about an hour north of the valley and just west of the I-17. The Gladiator Fire is the one that's creating the biggest threat. It has burned about 4.5-square-miles north of Crown King ignited on private land next to the Prescott National Forest in the Bradshaw Mountains. Yavapai County authorities said Sunday night that the town was not directly threatened by the wind-stoked fire, but a mandatory evacuation order remained in place. SkyFOX flew over the Gladiator wildfire on Monday -- where smoke came close to a cabin. Sheriff's spokesman Dwight D'Evelyn said in a release that most of the town's 350 residents had chosen to remain in town despite the order. The fire damaged two buildings and was burning on about 300 acres, he said. There were no estimates on containment. Authorities set up a command center in front of the Crown King General Store, said store owner Carol Boles, who was making sandwiches for firefighters Sunday evening. "Some of these guys didn't get their dinner before they were called up here," she said. The fire overtook a portion of Crown King Road, making the road to the mountain town inaccessible, a Yavapai County Sheriff's Office statement said. Deputies were directing residents to leave the area on other roads, and authorities have set up a shelter at Mayer High School. About 280 people have been assigned to the Sunflower blaze along with six air tankers and four helicopters. Another 14 engines were ordered. The fire was moving in a northeasterly direction and primarily toward a wilderness area, Tonto National Forest spokesman David Albo said. No structures were threatened and the fire hasn't prompted any evacuation orders. Authorities have yet to determine a suspected cause of the fire. It's burning in a hard-to-get-to area in the Tonto National Forest. There are no evacuation orders, and the Beeline Highway, State Route 87, is open. But that could change if the smoke gets too thick. Hot and windy weather are making the blaze difficult to contain. About 50 miles east of the Sunflower Fire is the Bull Flat Fire, near Whiteriver, which was thought to have been sparked by a lightning strike south of the Canyon Creek Fish Hatchery on the Fort Apache Indian Reservation. The fire burned brush, grass and dead and down fuels on the reservation and in the Tonto Forest. Flames were most active on its northeastern flank, but no structures were threatened. By Sunday afternoon, the fire had charred about 500 acres. It was about 35 percent contained. East of Prescott, crews were able to contain the Slaughterhouse Fire, which is burning about 3-miles southwest of Kingman. It has burned at least 50 acres. The blaze had briefly forced the evacuation of 20 homes in the Cherry Creek subdivision. The Yavapai County Sheriff's Office said residents were allowed to return Saturday evening. Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Vegetation affects wildfire size, damage

There are six types of vegetation common to the southwest. This vegetation becomes fuel when a wildfire breaks out and the type of trees and grass determine the size of the flames and how fast it will travel. Tall Chaparral is shrub brush and grasses. Flames can be 47 feet long. 3,600 acres can burn in one hour and the fire can travel 8.5 miles per hour. A wildfire in grass and desert scrub has flame lengths of 8 feet, the fire can burn 3,000 acres in one hour and these types of fires travel at 4.5 miles per hour. Riparian areas are areas with heavy brush and trees that grow along the banks of rivers. A wildfire here has flame lengths of 55 feet, it can burn 1,000 acres in one hour and the flames can travel a 3 miles per hour. Pinyon-Juniper woodlands are found on slopes between 4 and 7,000 feet. A wildfire in this area has flame lengths of 16 feet, 500 acres can burn in one hour and these types of fires can travel at 3 miles per hour. In a Ponderosa Pine forest, a wildfire has a flame length of 10 feet, 150 acres can burn in one hour and fire travels at 1.5 miles per hour. Mixed Conifer includes white fir, douglas fir and blue spruce. They are found at higher elevations above 6,000 feet. This is dense forest with a lot of fuel. Fires in this area can have flame lengths of 8 feet. 10 acres can burn in one hour and travel at .25 mile per hour.