10:00 News reported 500 Acres so far with a Type 1 Team arriving in the Morning...30 MPH Winds expected tomorrow with 0% Containment to this Point. Human Caused.... I was up in this area over the Weekend and it is tinder box dry up there!
Lifeis not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty & well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, totally worn out & proclaiming,"Wow What a Ride!"
Looks like the Slide fire is burning at the confluence of Oak Creek and the West Fork of Oak Creek.
A spot burn from the Slide fire this morning caught at the confluence of Oak Creek and the West Fork of Oak Creek Canyon.
It has since blazed up the canyon wall from the bottom of the West Fork and is pushing out onto the flats above the canyon near Harding Point. Fire officials are saying the West Fork of Oak Creek Canyon is the new front of the Slide fire.
The blaze has likely doubled in size, reaching as many as 1,000 acres, but it’s exact dimensions are unknown until overflights can be completed.
Air attack is limited in the West Fork because of the steep, rugged canyon terrain. Winds are also hindering air attack efforts at this time. Fighting the fire on the flat terrain will be easier.
“Were not going to put personnel out in front of that,” said Captain Bill Morse of the Flagstaff Fire Department.
The fire is now spreading north-northwest of Harding Point.
Anybody can make a hike harder. The real skill comes in making the hike easier.
life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer it gets to the end, the faster it goes. Andy Rooney
Yep, a Friend of mine posted and stated that it is now going up the West Fork as well....
Lifeis not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty & well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, totally worn out & proclaiming,"Wow What a Ride!"
With the S-SW winds driving this fire, it'll head into Flagstaff. The command center is at Ft. Tuthill, not good. Chance of rain this weekend is 20-40%. Pray for rain if not this fire is just getting started )-:
I'm okay with them closing it all down tight as a drum. I can ride my bike in town, swim, etc. I'd rather have that than all these yahoos running around, thinking they have to have campfires.
There is a point of no return unremarked at the time in most lives. Graham Greene The Comedians
A clean house is a sign of a misspent life.
I normally don't say this, but I hope it doesn't burn too far to the west. it appears to have come down to East Pocket and burned the AB Young, and then the Barney Tract is a few miles west. That would do well to have a fire after some raking and thinning. See my photo set from 2011.
I guess it's pretty much Official, West Fork is torched...It's being described as "totally gone, like a Bomb hit it"....If they ever catch the guy that did this, they better put him in a Bullet Proof Vest, there are a lot of angry people out there....
Lifeis not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty & well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, totally worn out & proclaiming,"Wow What a Ride!"
Outdoor Lover wrote:I guess it's pretty much Official, West Fork is torched...It's being described as "totally gone, like a Bomb hit it"....If they ever catch the guy that did this, they better put him in a Bullet Proof Vest, there are a lot of angry people out there....
My heart is broken. I'm devastated.
Can you provide a link to reporting on the condition of West Fork? I haven't been able to find anything online. Thanks.
@clean
Nothing on the Official News Report or Inciweb yet. Initial Reports are that it jumped the Canyon, but people that are there are reporting in that it's gone now...It's hearsay I suppose, but a lot of people know people that are working that Fire so I would be surprised if the reports are inaccurate. A Photographer Friend of mine that lives on Oak Creek stated that he saw it this morning and I was quoting his Post. I'm not sure how he saw it in person as I imagine that area is all closed up, or maybe he was seeing Photos that Crews took, I'm not sure. But there are enough people that live up there that are reporting it that I'm thinking that it's an accurate assessment at this Point. I guess it's not totally Official until it's actually on the News, but everything I'm hearing points to the worst....
Lifeis not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty & well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, totally worn out & proclaiming,"Wow What a Ride!"
Meanwhile, crews are dropping fire "ping pong balls" into the West Fork of Oak Creek Canyon, as they conduct backburns in hopes of saving the pristine region. The small, incendiary devices are commonly used in prescribed burning activities.
"They're going to be doing burnout operations today in that area and dropping fire ping pong balls back there to do dispersed burnouts," said Brady Smith, spokesperson for the Coconino National Forest. He added that there are a large number of green pockets in the lush canyon however, which will make burnouts difficult.
The western extent of the fire in West Fork remains unclear. The latest fire maps have the blaze extending to just before the narrow Insomnia and Illusions slot canyons.
Damage to the AB Young Trail is said to be "significant," according to Coconino National Forest officials.
Inciweb has a fire map as of about 1100 this morning. Go to satellite view and zoom in to get an idea of the damage to West Fork of Oak Creek.
Anybody can make a hike harder. The real skill comes in making the hike easier.
life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer it gets to the end, the faster it goes. Andy Rooney
](./images/smilies/eusa_wall.gif "Brick wall"){kind=small}
I was up in this area over the Weekend and it is tinder box dry up there!
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