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Nearly all evacuation orders have been lifted for the Crooks Fire burning in the Bradshaw Mountains south of Prescott. An Emergency Response Team has completed a Soil Burn Severity Map for the Tunnel Fire. Crews are conducting mop up operations on the Antelope Fire north of Sunset Crater near Flagstaff.
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The Tunnel Fire burned through Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument and headed north toward the edge of Wupatki National Monument, through a woodland of pinyon-juniper trees. That region experienced a dramatic die-off of junipers in the last few years. Before the fire, National Park Service staff partnered with NASA to map the dead trees using satellite images. KNAU’s Melissa Sevigny spoke with ecologist Nicole Ramberg-Pihl, a member of the NASA team, about their findings.
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In the 1970s American insurance companies paid less than $100 million a year toward wildfire losses; now the annual average reaches as high as $13 billion.
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The company that provides water to the area burned by the Tunnel Fire says the homes that are still standing never lost water access, and the water is safe to drink. KNAU’s Melissa Sevigny reports.
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An estimated thirty homes were destroyed in the Tunnel Fire, among them, the home of local artist and financial counselor Ashlee Binderim. She rented the house in Timberline for six years and barely got out with her husband, dogs, and cat. She spoke with KNAU’s Melissa Sevigny about the grief of losing so much, including her chickens and a classic ’66 Mustang, and the uncertainty of what comes next.
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The Tunnel Fire burned through the entirety of Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument east of Flagstaff, but staff say patchworks of vegetation—and the Visitor Center—survived the flames. KNAU’s Melissa Sevigny reports.
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Fire crews will battle high winds today as they continue to make progress on the Tunnel Fire burning northeast of Flagstaff. The National Weather Service is calling for gusts in excess of 60 mph at times.
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The Coconino Humane Association in Flagstaff has taken in more than a hundred animals evacuated from the Tunnel Fire. KNAU’s Melissa Sevigny reports, the facilities are crowded but animal foster families have stepped up to help.
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The Crooks Fire burning south of Prescott is still at 1600 acres and zero percent contained. KNAU’s Melissa Sevigny reports, several areas remain under evacuation orders.
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More than five and a half million acres have burned in the U.S. this year. Wildfires have grown larger and more intense over the last few decades, in part…