Firefighters continue to make progress on the Tunnel Fire burning northeast of Flagstaff. Officials with the Coconino National Forest say the blaze is currently 30% contained and has burned just over 19,000 acres.
Crews on the Tunnel Fire continue to patrol fire lines and mop-up the fire’s edges to ensure any heat within the perimeter is not a threat to other control features already in place.
Forest official say a reconnaissance flight Tuesday confirmed a decrease in acreage reported earlier in the day.
Early morning cloud coverage has cleared, leading to near-critical fire weather conditions, with sustained southwest winds around 25 mph and gusts close to 40 mph.
The National Weather Service has issued a Red Flag Warning for Thursday. Critical fire weather is expected.
Calmer winds in Friday’s forecast.