"Wallow Fire" in Bear Wallow Wilderness

[azbackpackr]

Lots of activity in Springerville this morning, with the Prescott Hot Shots arriving at Safeway for a snack, and other buses full of firefighters seen on the highway heading for the "Wallow Fire" in Bear Wallow Wilderness Area, south of Hannagan. The smoke is not that visible, although my daughter was over at Hulsey yesterday and saw the smoke. I was up at Big Lake early this morning and could see only a haze of smoke south of there, not a big plume. I think winds too strong for it to plume up much. I'm back in Flag now, so I won't get the firsthand news any more.

Oh, and no campfires or charcoal grills allowed in the campgrounds since last night in Apache-Sitgreaves NF (Big Lake, Hannagan, etc.) I think stoves still allowed. Not sure about non-campgrounds.

Here's a news story on the Wallow Fire, but as of this writing it has not made it to inciweb yet. (Maybe tomorrow?)
( dead link removed )

Perimeter Map [ Wallow Fire Map 2011-06-27 :: map ]
Inciweb ( dead link removed )

[azbackpackr]

Update on inciweb one minute ago finally is now putting it at over 400,000 acres. AND now saying that 67 houses lost. Not saying if they are in Greer, or where they are. No updates in newspaper as yet. (10 a.m. Friday).

[chumley]

The latest confirmed numbers that I read are 5 homes and 6 other structures in Nutrioso and Alpine. The word there was all property owners had been notified, so if you haven't heard anything, then you're property is ok.

In Greer it was 22 lost, 5 damaged, and 24 outbuildings lost. One vehicle lost. Affected homeowners in Greer have NOT all been notified yet.

Add those numbers up and it's 62, so even including the outbuildings and damaged structures, it still doesn't add up to the 67 you mention. Which is probably bad news for Greer since Alpine and Nutrioso are supposedly secure.

Officially, it the numbers above are 27 houses lost, so if the numbers are truly up to 67, that would be a devastating turn today.

[RangerKelly]

Those pictures gave me hope. I thought just about everything in the burn area would be destroyed.

[tibber]

not sure if anyone posted this yet but there are some great pics: http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2011/0 ... es_on.html

I think it's a nice synopsis.

[chumley]

Update on inciweb one minute ago finally is now putting it at over 400,000 acres. AND now saying that 67 houses lost. Not saying if they are in Greer, or where they are. No updates in newspaper as yet. (10 a.m. Friday).

Elizabeth, the 10am briefing as outlined on WMI said the following:

No new loss of structures has occurred. The rumor of over 53 is not true.

[azbackpackr]

Update on inciweb one minute ago finally is now putting it at over 400,000 acres. AND now saying that 67 houses lost. Not saying if they are in Greer, or where they are. No updates in newspaper as yet. (10 a.m. Friday).

Elizabeth, the 10am briefing as outlined on WMI said the following:

No new loss of structures has occurred. The rumor of over 53 is not true.

Yeah, I saw that, and also Inciweb later issued a "correction."

[Al_HikesAZ]

Gila Wilderness in NM being closed

Portions of Gila closed because of fire danger
Sun-News report Posted: 06/10/2011 10:28:37 PM MDT

SILVER CITY - Gila National Forest officials have announced a partial closure of western portions of the Quemado, Reserve, and Glenwood Ranger Districts due to the Wallow Fire.

Because of the amount of fire activity with the Wallow Fire and the very high fire danger on the forest, officials have announced a partial closure of these districts beginning today... Read full article

http://www.scsun-news.com/ci_18251916

[azbackpackr]

Synopsis of last night's press conference...have to say the White Mtn. Independent has really stepped up to the plate in keeping evacuees updated. Unlike the Phoenix news media, they seem to take the role of giving accurate information seriously. They don't just write a story to have something to sell, or sensationalize it a lot. When they put up an update, there is generally new info within it. Although I have made fun of this newspaper off and on over the years (even though I write for its outdoors magazine sometimes) I have to say they do deserve a lot of praise for keep those of us, who are quite literally worried sick, informed.
http://www.wmicentral.com/news/latest_n ... 002e0.html

[jdcollard]

I have to agree...WMI is the first place we have been checking for information.

[Jim]

Gila Wilderness in NM being closed

Portions of Gila closed because of fire danger
Sun-News report Posted: 06/10/2011 10:28:37 PM MDT

SILVER CITY - Gila National Forest officials have announced a partial closure of western portions of the Quemado, Reserve, and Glenwood Ranger Districts due to the Wallow Fire.

Because of the amount of fire activity with the Wallow Fire and the very high fire danger on the forest, officials have announced a partial closure of these districts beginning today... Read full article

http://www.scsun-news.com/ci_18251916

Actually, those are separate areas from the Gila Wilderness, which has actually been mostly closed for some time now and will have some areas reopening. This was due to the Miller Fire. The Aldo Leopold is still open, as were portions of the Gila Wilderness. Not that I expect people to look in this thread, but the Gila NF website is the best spot to look.

[big_load]

Unlike the Phoenix news media ...

Local media in Phoenix has always seemed three or four notches below that of any comparable or even lesser urban area. They get better reporting in Cedar Rapids. Phoenix television is especially bad. They seem to load up on local crime and auto accidents and devote a few inaccurate minutes to everything else going on in the world.

@tibber Thanks for posting that link.

[Alston_Neal]

Unlike the Phoenix news media ...

Local media in Phoenix has always seemed three or four notches below that of any comparable or even lesser urban area. They get better reporting in Cedar Rapids. Phoenix television is especially bad. They seem to load up on local crime and auto accidents and devote a few inaccurate minutes to everything else going on in the world.

The Phoenix news media would be all over the Wallow fire if sex crimes were occurring there.

[Trishness]

I just saw an updated infrared map (this morning) of the Wallow fire and it looks like it is heading into Mt Baldy area southwest of Greer? Am I reading this map correctly?

http://www.wmicentral.com/news/latest_n ... 03286.html

430,171 acres burned so far

[azbackpackr]

Prevailing winds pushing it away from there, but yes, it has been slowly creeping that way. I think they are backburning all the perimeters. Right now there is a major concern for New Mexico.

[K9Shep]

@K9Shep
Watching your interview on 3TV right now. Great spot, keep up the good work! I know people appreciate your efforts! Beautiful pooch too!

Thank you very much. I am back at work tonight wanted to give everyone a little update on the trip. I met a lot of good people. The Red Cross is doing a good job. The Salvation Army is doing a good job feeding everyone. Everyone I talked to said all things considered the shelter was very good. About the only complaint was the cots made lots of noise. Pandora (my GSD) was able to help lots of kids. She connected very well with them, and the pocket full of candy I always had seemed to help some too. If anyone has any questions please feel free to ask. I took some video, but was busy most of the time. I will try to find a place to host them (maybe youtube, never posed a video). Also if there are people in the shelter come wends/thurs/fri I will do my best to head back up there again. I am also kicking around the idea of making more trips up there once people are allowed to go back in. Ran the idea of having a therapy dog session in the towns after people can move back in. The mayor to Pinetop/Lakeside said the leaders in those towns would most likely like that idea.

The wife and I currently have an idea/plan. We go up there 5-7 times a year. Each trip we are going to take a pine tree with us plant it and mark it on the GPS. Then each year we can go back and check on it. I know people who own land that was affected by rodeo chedisky fire are allowed X number of trees each year by the forest service to help replant. Just thought I would share this idea with everyone in hopes maybe someone else does it too.

Anywho, I will keep you posted on my endeavors to help these people and OUR forest.

[azbackpackr]

Thanks very much, K9, for providing some relief to those children, and probably some adults, too. The idea of planting the trees is nice, too, although I am not sure how one goes about it. The soil is so tough, I would have a hard time digging the hole myself.

We have some better news from last night, and hope they will let us go home right away. For Springerville and Eagar residents they are concerned about the hazardous smoke. About 500 people chose to not evacuate from those two towns. They never even turned off the water, phones or power there! Of course, it is all under police watch all the time and those folks cannot leave their properities.

We had a call from a friend who stayed behind. He lives in the Amity-LeSueur area right next to the forest boundary. He said the police forgot to evacuate him. They never came to his house at all. It wasn't til the firefighters were in his yard that someone noticed he had stayed, so they came around and he signed the release paper. They also forgot to knock on our door. It was really a mess, very uncoordinated. If we had had internet we would have known earlier.

We know some kids who live in Alpine, cops never knocked on their door either. They had not even known anything about an evacuation. The girl got in her car and drove away to go to the store, and they wouldn't let her back in! She had to get special permission and a police escort to go back to her place and wake up her boyfriend and get their belongings. So, I am very unimpressed with the police. Hope they can keep the looters at bay.

[Nighthiker]

Fire has been moving fast and taking more land than what the French Army lost in WW II. Very tough conditions the next couple of days.

[azbackpackr]

Hurrying to pack and go home. Evac lifted for Round Valley only, 10 a.m.

[Thoreau]

Just crossed into Eagar city limits from Springerville... The smoke is VERY much still present. I wouldn't wanna be here without my respirator (used to the lower elevation too though.) Lotsa people coming back in it seems. Wandering south a bit more to see what we can see...


Edit: Anyone coming back in, watch out on 60 into Springerville. Good bit of tire debris from a recent blowout on the EB side.

[Thoreau]

Facing south:
http://xanthotech.com/gallery/d/7763-2/ ... -48_93.jpg