Wildfires scorch southwestern U.S.

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Strong winds feed a wildfire blaze around a home on the outskirts of Flagstaff, Ariz., on Tuesday. Associated Press/Photo by Jake Bacon/Arizona Daily Sun

Residents near Flagstaff, Ariz., who had to flee from a wildfire last week returned home Sunday morning. The Tunnel Fire started a week ago and grew to cover about 33 square miles. It remains only 3 percent contained but has migrated to the northeast of Flagstaff.

Where are other fires burning? In New Mexico, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed emergency declarations Sunday as wildfires continue to burn in more than half the state’s 33 counties. Officials ordered evacuations for residents in the northern counties of Mora and San Miguel. A new fire that ignited in the area Saturday merged with an existing fire to form the largest blaze in the state. By Sunday, it covered 84 square miles and was only 12 percent contained.

Dig deeper: Track U.S. wildfires on the government’s InciWeb site.

Leigh Jones

Leigh is features editor for WORLD. She is a World Journalism Institute graduate who spent six years as a newspaper reporter in Texas before joining WORLD News Group. Leigh also co-wrote Infinite Monster: Courage, Hope, and Resurrection in the Face of One of America's Largest Hurricanes. She resides with her husband and daughter in Houston, Texas.