Arizona fire forces residents to flee

Coconino County declared an emergency after a wildfire grew from 100 acres Tuesday morning to 26 square miles by Wednesday. At least 700 homes have been evacuated since Tuesday. The flames trapped at least one man in his house. He called the sheriff’s office, but firefighters couldn’t reach him in time. It is not known whether he made it out.

Where is it going? The fire was moving northeast away from the more heavily populated areas of Flagstaff, home to Northern Arizona University, and toward Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument on Wednesday, said a Coconino National Forest spokesman. The fire started Sunday afternoon 14 miles northeast of Flagstaff. High winds have whipped flames higher than 100 feet and grounded aircraft carrying water and fire retardant, making it more difficult for firefighters to contain the blaze. Investigators have not yet determined how it started. 

Dig deeper: Read Rachel Lynn Aldrich’s report in The Sift about what the latest report from the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change says about wildfires.