Tunnel Fire (2022) Explained

Tunnel Fire
Pushpin Map:USA Arizona
Landuse:Grass, Brush, and Pine
Cause:Under investigation
Buildings:30 homes[1]
Area:26532acres
Location:Flagstaff, Arizona
Date:April 17, 2022 – July 1, 2022
Fatalities:0

The Tunnel Fire was a wildfire burning in Coconino National Forest and Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument, the Lack Bill Park neighborhood north of the city of Flagstaff, Arizona in the United States, and along U.S. Route 89. The fire was named after a tunnel landmark on Waterline Road, near where it ignited on Sunday, April 17, 2022.[2] On June 3, 2022, the wildfire was declared 100% contained by the Arizona Emergency Information Network. It had burned 26,532 acres (10,737 ha) and had destroyed 30 homes. No fatalities or injuries were reported.

Development

April

The fire was first reported on April 17, 2022, at approximately 4:22 p.m. MST. The cause of the fire is currently unknown. AZIEN said that, while an investigation found a "specific origin area and excluded many cause determinations", the exact cause was still unknown

Containment

The fire is 100% contained as of June 3, 2022.

Impact

Structure

The fire destroyed 30 homes.

Closures and evacuations

U.S. Route 89 was closed between mileposts 423 and 445 because of the wildfire.[3]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 'It's gone. Your house is gone': Tunnel Fire destroys 30 homes, displaces dozens of families near Flagstaff. Laura Daniella Sepulveda and Haleigh. Kochanski. The Arizona Republic.
  2. 1516927231842422784. CoconinoNF. The #TunnelFire is named after the tunnel landmark on the Waterline Road above Schultz Road.. Coconino National Forest. April 20, 2022. January 25, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20220527204125/https://twitter.com/coconinonf/status/1516927231842422784. May 27, 2022. live.
  3. https://www.foxweather.com/earth-space/arizona-wildfires-force-evacuations State of Emergency declared for Arizona wildfire as blaze continues to spread