Fire season is just around the corner and Sedona residents should strive to be more prepared than ever.
Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey warned state residents on Wednesday, April 13, that the 2016 fire season may be wilder and worse than ever due to heavy precipitation last fall and winter and a lack of regular natural wildfires to clear out all the new growth. This summer the state may lean toward a drought, he said, which means all that new fuel will be easier to burn.
In May 2014, a fire began just north of Slide Rock State Park. Drier-than-normal conditions plus wind gusts of 30 to 40 mph turned what could have been a small, contained blaze into a major inferno, burning 21,227 acres in Oak Creek Canyon and atop the Coconino Plateau. It was the largest-ever fire in the history of the Coconino National Forest and second-largest in the history of Coconino County.
The 16-day blaze closed down State Route 89A in Oak Creek Canyon, forcing Sedona and Flagstaff residents who make the relatively short 45-minute commute to detour to Interstate 17. Smoke filled the sky in the day and settled into the Verde Valley at night, making it hard to breathe in the thick, sometimes toxic haze. The U.S. Forest Service closed access points from the switchbacks to Midgley Bridge for months afterward, meaning Grand Canyon tourists who made day trips to nearby Oak Creek Canyon and Sedona opted for literally greener pastures, devastating the small economy in the canyon and severely affecting businesses in Uptown.
No buildings were lost and no one was killed, but we have not always been so lucky.
On June 30, 2013, 19 firefighters with the Granite Mountain Hotshots team were killed when the Yarnell Hill Fire overran their position. All the firefighters who died served with the Prescott Fire Department. It was the highest wildland firefighter death toll in Arizona history and third-highest in American history. “Yarnell 19” memorials and signs are constant reminders that wildfires can turn deadly in an instant.
Five years ago, the Wallow Fire struck in rural eastern Arizona and spread into the largest ever fire in the state, burning 538,049 acres, an area twice the size of all five boroughs of New York City. Hundreds of firefighters, including many of our own, spent weeks battling the fire.
The Brins Fire was 10 years ago, charring Brins Mesa, Wilson Mountain and Oak Creek Canyon for 10 days. The treeline atop Wilson Mountain is still sparse from the blaze a decade ago.
This fire season, be hyper-vigilant. If you see smoke, call 911 immediately. Don’t build campfires in areas under fire restrictions. If someone throws a lit cigarette from a car window, don’t just curse, call the Coconino or Yavapai county sheriff’s office and report the license plate. Don’t smoke on forest land and if you see someone smoking on a trail, politely inform them of the dangers and ask them to extinguish their cigarette.
Contact the Sedona Fire District now and have your home evaluated for fire risk. The fire marshal can advise you what changes to your landscaping and brush will keep your home safe. There is still plenty of time to make small changes that could keep your home safe and standing.
A major fire affecting the Verde Valley is not a question of if but when. It is up to our community as a whole to prevent another tragedy this fire season.
