Wallow Fire – Officially The Worst Arizona Wildfire

While the firefighters have managed to achieve 18% containment, the fire has grown into the largest wildfire on record for the state of Arizona, taking the top spot from the Rodeo-Chediski Fire of 2002.

Information from the current Wallow Fire InciWeb Page

• Date Started: 5/29/2011
• Location: Apache, Navajo, Graham, and Greenlee Counties, San Carlos and White Mountain Apache Reservations, Arizona; Catron County, New Mexico
• Cause: Human – under investigation
• Size: 469,407 acres [733 miles² 1900 km²] based on infrared data
• Percent Contained: 18%
• Injuries to Date: 7
• Residences: 2,714 threatened; 32 destroyed; 5 damaged
• Commercial Property: 473 threatened; 4 destroyed
• Outbuildings: 1,216 threatened; 36 destroyed; 1 damaged
• Other: 1 truck destroyed
• Number of Personnel: Approximately 4,734 including 24 hotshot crews and 77 hand crews
• Equipment: 20 dozers, 333 engines, 73 watertenders
• Aircraft: 20 helicopters, 5 air tankers, DC-10
• Incident Commander: Jim Loach, Area Command Team 3

Firefighters have achieved 18% containment of the 469,407-acre Wallow Fire. While the Wallow Fire is now the largest wildlife in Arizona’s history, significant progress has been made towards containment. A previously destroyed structure at Pool Corral, in the Greer area, was confirmed yesterday. Mop up of backing fire continues in the Alpine and Tal Wi Wi communities. Burnout operations continue from FR 220 south to US 180. Structure protection activities continue in Nutrioso and Alpine. Mop up and widening of containment lines continues in the Greer and South Fork areas. Electricity has been restored to Greer and South Fork.

There was poor humidity recovery overnight and humidity will remain low today. Firefighters continued with structure protection, line improvement and mop-up on the eastern flank. Roads, dozer lines and natural barriers are being improved for use as containment lines. Crews worked to strengthen these lines along FR 281. The fire remains active in unburned areas of the fire. Good progress has been made on the fire’s southeast flank, where crews are working to slow the spread of fire and continue to build and improve containment lines and mop-up. There was minimal movement last night. On the west flank, the fire is backing to the south and further southern spread is expected.

Firefighters made good progress at strengthening and holding existing control lines and are mopping-up north of Black River. Firelines immediately south of Black River are holding. Construction of 8-10 miles of indirect line along the south end of the fire continues in preparation of a planned burnout when conditions are optimal. Along the southwestern and southern flanks, extremely dry fuels and low relative humidity will continue to result in active fire behavior and longer burning periods.

[For the latest information click on the Fire symbol, or go to the CATEGORIES drop-down box below the CALENDAR and select “Fires” for all of the posts related to wildfires on this site.]