Photo: Milos Bicanski / Getty Images
The tunnel fire, which has been under blaze in Coconino County, northern Arizona, for at least a week, has left in ashes more than 21,000 acres, reported the United States Forest Service.
So far, the department said that only 3% of the fire has been contained, since strong winds and dry air currents from the north and northwest have fanned the flames, hampering the firefighters’ effort to control it, administrators explained, and added that crews were repositioning to respond.
Also bulldozers and ground crews were working to build line of fire to stop or delay the fire progress, authorities said.
As of this Saturday morning, Coconino County recorded 334 people on site with resources including 18 engines, nine crews, five bulldozers, three helicopters and one air attack aircraft.
Flares began Sunday just north of Flagstaff. Nearly two dozen buildings were destroyed, and hundreds of homes near Flrastaff were ordered evacuated earlier in the week.
Until at this time it has not been determined what could have caused the fire and is under investigation, and the US highway 89 remains closed from mile 425 to 445.
In addition, some parts of the Coconino National Forest are also closed, according to the United States Forest Service.
The Forest Service has advised drivers not to go onto Forest Road 244A in order to avoid the closure of the US 89.
“The maps are redirecting people around the fire using the paths of the Forest Service, but those roads are not SAFE and are blocked”, wrote the agency on the social network Twitter.
Do NOT TAKE Forest Road 244A to avoid the closure of US 89. Maps are redirecting people around the fire using Forest Service roads, but those roads are UNSAFE and blocked off. #TunnelFire— Coconino NF (@CoconinoNF) April , 2022
Also read: