Flagstaff Papa Fire burns 100+ acres during Red Flag Warning
Papa Fire burns near Flagstaff
Wildland firefighters are battling the Papa Fire, which has burned approximately 100 acres less than 15 miles east of Flagstaff. FOX 10's Nicole Krasean reports.
COCONINO COUNTY, Ariz. - Wildland firefighters are currently fighting the Papa Fire less than 15 miles east of Flagstaff. This comes as most of the High Country is under a Red Flag Warning.
A timelapse taken from the Twin Arrows camera shows the progression of the Papa Fire, which is now sitting at around 100 acres. Meteorologists in Flagstaff say fire risk will remain high into Tuesday.
What we know:
Monday's forecast triggered a Red Flag Warning in Arizona's High Country.
"We are experiencing some drought, some dry and some extremely windy weather conditions," said Randi Shaffer, the deputy public affairs officer for the Coconino National Forest.
Valerie Meola, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Flagstaff, noted the severity of the conditions.
"There are about 15–25 mile per hour sustained winds, and they're gusting up to around 30–40 miles per hour," Meola said.
Mid-afternoon on Monday, a new wildfire named the Papa Fire sparked east of Flagstaff, with the Coconino National Forest crews taking the lead on the firefight.
"We're responding to this fire with a direct extinguishment, full suppression strategy and, so, that means that our goal is to confine the Papa Fire to as small a perimeter as possible, as quickly as possible," Shaffer said.
Smoke from the Papa Fire, less than 15 miles east of Flagstaff
Dig deeper:
Fire crews are collaborating with meteorologists with the National Weather Service in Flagstaff to best predict weather patterns that could affect the blaze.
"We do have a program called the Spot Program, and they can submit for a spot forecast in which we'll give them a forecast right where they're located based on their elevation and what they're dealing with right there we'll communicate with the fire boss or whoever we need to or the incident commander, whoever's in charge of whatever that may be and that goes for prescribed burns as well," Meola said.
The good news is that no structures or homes are in the direct path of the Papa Fire as of Monday evening. The main concern centers on gas pipelines and power lines that could be threatened, and another red flag day is on the horizon.
"We're gonna continue to see the conditions on Tuesday, so tomorrow we're still gonna have those windy, dry conditions and winds might actually be a little bit stronger than they were today," Meola said.
What's next:
The cause of the Papa Fire is under investigation, but there was no lightning in the area where it was sparked, according to the forest service.