A new wildfire that erupted on the slopes outside Yarnell – scene of the 2013 disaster that killed 19 firefighters – sent at least 250 residents scrambling to evacuate and fire crews racing to block the flames from town. Authorities ordered additional evacuations Thursday, including homes in the Peeples Valley Area, as they feared the fire might make its way down to Highway 89. It was the largest loss of life for USA firefighters since the September 11 terrorist attacks.
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Fire crews from Wickenburg, Congress and Yarnell are all responding to the blaze, which started on a dirt road that leads from Yarnell to Old Stagecoach Road.
A brush fire burns in Yarnell, Ariz., Wednesday, June 8, 2016.
She said Yarnell residents were better prepared to deal with fire this time.
CLOSURE: SR 89 will close in both directions from MP 282 to MP 275 due to the #TenderfootFire. He says light winds Thursday morning are blowing the fire away from Yarnell and that the weather forecast is favorable for several days.
Yavapai County officials note that this fire is burning on the east side of Yarnell, whereas the 2013 Yarnell Hill Wildfire burned on the west side.
The raging inferno comes almost three years to the day from when a blaze engulfed the same area, ending in the deaths of 19 firefighters.
The fire, which is believed to be human-caused, already has burned about 2 square mile of brush and grass.
Calm winds and cooler conditions with higher humidity overnight helped slow the fire, allowing firefighters to get some rest, Garcia said.
“I’m a little smarter on what to grab” this time, she told The Arizona Republic as she scrambled to pack her belongings Wednesday afternoon.
“We’re prepared to shelter them for as long as it takes”, said Diana Rodriguez with the Red Cross.
Chuck Overmyer watched the fire burn from his home in Glen Ilah, a subdivision across the highway from Yarnell that was devastated by the 2013 Yarnell Hill Fire. The brush fire threatened structures Wednesday in the north-central Arizona town of Yarnell – the scene of…
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No injuries have been reported as a result of the blaze. Several aircraft, including a helicopter and a large jet, are dropping water on the flames.
