Arizona Wildfire Biggest In State History

SPRINGERVILLE, Ariz. (AP) -- The fire burning in eastern Arizona's Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest is now the largest in state history, although nowhere near the most damaging to homes.

The Wallow fire has forced nearly 10,000 people to evacuate homes in several small mountain communities and two larger towns on the forest edge. It has burned 11 structures.

(CLICK HERE for photos of Arizona's wildfire.)

Fire command team spokesman Alan Barbain spokesman says the blaze has now consumed 478,452 acres of forest, mainly ponderosa pine. Of those, 4,911 acres are in New Mexico and 474,541 are in Arizona.

That makes it larger than 2002 Rodeo-Chediski (ched-ih-SKY') fire, which began as two blazes before it merged into the worst wildfire in state history.

The Chediski started as a signal fire and joined with the Rodeo, which was intentionally set by a firefighter who needed work.

Together they burned 732 square miles, destroyed 491 buildings and cost about $400 million to fight.

Comments

[Mark Wesly Mason]

07:24 PM on 06/16/2011

Ah WOW, this aticat is about a wild fire in AZ, not congress, not illegal imagration, it's not about crime or how bad it screwed up your dirt bike riding, boy it doesn't take much to get off subject with this group.

[fd909]

06:50 PM on 06/16/2011

Whoever or whatever caused it,whether Arizona is now "Mexico", whatever political bent any group has or does not have.....how's about sending a little prayer to those men and women who are trying to fight this monster. If relegion is not your thing, then how about sending a thank you to them, and drop all this other garbage and arguing.

[genesammo]

06:25 PM on 06/16/2011

I believe Congress should investagate Huffington for censoring our comments, I believe the constitution and the ammendment to it give us the RIGHT to FREE speach.

[ewing1936]

07:39 PM on 06/16/2011

Sign petitions, whatever necessary - to get Huffington off the air...

[meleagrid]

10:20 AM on 06/20/2011

I'm for free peaches too!, ammen!

[jocrln]

06:02 PM on 06/16/2011

Has Glenn Beck announced yet that the cause of these fires is God himself because hes upset about the blatant racism in the Arizona government??? Im waiting.....I think Ill be waiting a long time, Glenn Beck was never big on reality.

[bdaved]

10:32 PM on 06/16/2011

Well, in reality, if all Arizonans voted like the people of Apache County, Arizona would have quite a different government than it has now.

[ThisAlreadyHappened]

05:31 PM on 06/16/2011

Just a heads up to all AOL users on here. If you notice on the front page there is a "HotSearch: Iran Homemade Satellite" under the main headlines. I am not 100% sure, but I believe that by clicking it, it takes you to a spam page that is not what it appears to be. I would recommend not logging into that page as it seems very suspicious.

[mmrthunderbolt]

05:30 PM on 06/16/2011

That area has the best motorcycle riding roads and camping in the state. Devil's highway goes right through Sitgreaves. This is a real tic to us locals.

[Jingluo]

05:25 PM on 06/16/2011

This is in response to two comments. Yes, the Western states do have controlled burns. Having lived in CO for 26 years I've seen them. As far as the comment about the wildfire not being the result of a holocaust or nuclear disaster and that the trees will grow back...It is still a disaster. Think of all the wildlife that has died from this. As for the trees? Think how long it takes a tree to mature...approximately 40 years give or take. When the Big Thompson flood took out the flora and fauna in Rocky Mountain National Park in 1976, it washed out a huge area that fanned out causing an "alluvial fan". Twenty years later when I saw it, the vegetation was just barely making a comeback. Point is, it takes quite a few years for the natural vegetation to get back to where it was before the event ever happened.

[champagne charlie]

06:22 AM on 06/16/2011

If I were a conservative Christian I would think maybe God had a problem with the way the people of Arizona behave and treat their fellow human beings...especially the ones from Mexico...but I'm not so maybe it's global warming...but they don't believe in that.

[blindjester]

10:50 AM on 06/16/2011

Well, not all of us are red down here in AZ....

[njvindenver]

11:26 AM on 06/16/2011

But you have no problem with illegals bankrupting this country, not to mention violent crime. How is that a way to treat people?

[champagne charlie]

11:30 AM on 06/16/2011

This is the stupidest statement I've read today!

[tnash26170]

01:02 PM on 06/16/2011

Facts please. On crime, especially, for I believe you are conflating the drug lords in Mexico with the illegal immigrants here. Have never seen stats that say illegals are any more prone to violence than citizens.

[Greatest Darthfruit]

06:19 AM on 06/16/2011

478,452 acres of forest, mainly ponderosa pine, that's irreparable! a huge environmental impact, what a disaster!

[Kevin Cahill]

04:46 AM on 06/16/2011

Well, duh, when will they put it out? We in Albuquerque have been choking on smoke for weeks.

[buttweed]

09:04 AM on 06/16/2011

Make it two of us in Albuquerque choking to death. Come on Monsoons

[Mondayboy]

10:12 PM on 06/15/2011

what are we doing to this planet?

[Gabe A Davis]

11:36 AM on 06/16/2011

Are you serious? LOL. The stuff will grow back. It was a fire problem, not some kind of nuclear holocaust or system melt down. As far as the people goes, I hope they are all well and hope they will be taken care of by Arizona and insurance companies. Hopefully no one gets hurt.

[Beth Fenwick]

12:31 PM on 06/16/2011

oh yeah,,, the inSURance companies will take care of them...

(still laughing),,,,

....and STILL laughingl,,,,,

[lolasuncle]

12:50 PM on 06/16/2011

You know, in Fla we have controlled burns every year. You probably already know that studies show it actually helps the forests. And no doubt keeps our state from burning up every year. But out West, the enviromentalists wont let them do the controlled burns. And you see what you get... Every. Single. Year.

[JPETERB]

10:06 PM on 06/15/2011

If it were not for the bi-costal 'librul' class warfare democrats in our America none of this extreme weather would be happening. Or so I am told.

[foregoneconclusion]

10:03 PM on 06/15/2011

You mean the biggest in RECORDED history, right? You don't think before civilization brought fire departments to Arizona, unchecked fires might not have been as large, if not larger?

[jimboy71]

11:59 PM on 06/15/2011

Actually, that data is readily available. I think this might pale against the time the Yellowstone supervolcano blew, but certainly in the time since H sapiens has been in NA.

But thanks for playing.

[foregoneconclusion]

10:18 AM on 06/16/2011

Yeah, it's hot outside today. I don't ever remember it being this hot!

[alteredstory]

12:22 AM on 06/16/2011

It's possible. Modern land-use has made many fires worse, at least where there are forests. I don't know about Arizona.

I think one thing to remember, though, is that even if there were worse things in the distant past, civilization DIDN'T exist then, and so we don't have a gauge as to how it would cope. Not necessarily something we want to roll the dice on...

[Gottlieb]

09:34 PM on 06/15/2011

With Climate Change becoming more apparent and causing more extremes in climate variability, this Arizona record will fall in the near future.

[hypeandchange2008]

09:55 PM on 06/15/2011

LOL

[foregoneconclusion]

10:04 PM on 06/15/2011

Maybe not, huh.

[jimboy71]

12:00 AM on 06/16/2011

And what would you know about any of that?

[ellwood145]

08:42 PM on 06/15/2011

wow a bored arsonist posing as a firefighter, I guess he will get his. What a sad human being.

[Gabe A Davis]

11:41 AM on 06/16/2011

I heard on the news it was a unattended campfire and the authorities are reviewing any local gas station cameras or looking for witnesses etc of who could have left it unattended. Could be wrong though.