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Tunnel Fire
Incident Contacts
- Randi ShafferEmail:randi.shaffer@usda.govPhone:928-640-2774Hours:Daily 8am-5pm
- County Tunnel Fire Call CenterPhone:928-679-8525Hours:Daily 8am-5pm
- Media ContactEmail:randi.shaffer@usda.govPhone:928-224-8306Hours:Daily 8am-5pm
Helicopters, crews make progress with lines around fire
Tunnel Fire
Publication Type: News 04/22/2022
In addition, hand crews continued establishing handline on the southern edge of the fire east of the Pinnacle Peak 345KV powerline and on the north edge of the fire below and east of O’Leary Peak. They will continue looking for opportunities to extend these fire lines to the east.
“Even though we haven’t declared a percentage of containment on this fire yet, there has been a lot of work, progress, and investment on line construction around many parts of the Tunnel Fire,” said Deputy Incident Commander Shelby Erickson. “However, we won’t be declaring areas with line around them as ‘contained’ until we’re confident the line will hold during the forecasted high and shifting winds through the next few days.”
Windy conditions are expected to continue into Friday with a slight chance of moisture and higher humidity to accompany Friday’s winds. Saturday and Sunday, winds are forecasted to be up to 20 mph, but coming out of the northwest and northeast, that could potentially push embers out of the fire to the south and west.
TUNNEL FIRE AT A GLANCE
Date reported: April 17, 2022
Cause: Under investigation.
Origin: 14 miles northeast of Flagstaff.
Current size: 20,198 acres
Current closures: U.S. Highway 89 is closed from milepolst 425 to 4435. Conditions are being assessed daily to determine when it is safe for the highway to open for travel. Coconino National Forest has instituted a Forest Closure Order for the area affected by the Tunnel Fire.
Evacuation information: Please visit the Coconino County Emergency Management page for the Tunnel Fire at https://www.coconino.az.gov/2894/Tunnel-Fire. The Coconino County Tennel Fire Call Center can be reached as 928-679-8525.