FLAGSTAFF, FIRE AND FOREST HIGHLANDS – Flagstaff Arizona is making the national news coverage due to two forest fires that erupted this past weekend, June 19 and 20th. I don’t think you can grasp the power of a forest fire out of control without actually seeing it. I happened to be in the town of Flagstaff on Saturday and saw one small plume of white smoke. Within an hour, it was huge and out of control. This fire was brought under control, and the local authorities have a man in custody who allowed his campfire to get out of control.
On Sunday at noon, I was again in town and saw another small plume of white smoke. As of this writing, the Schultz fire has burned over 8,000 acres and still spreading. So far and thank goodness, no homes have been involved at either location, but hundreds of homes have been evacuated. Again, it seems a campfire left unattended was the cause.
I took the attached photos standing on the driving range of the Canyon Course of Forest Highlands Golf community. This is what the Schultz fire looks like from our viewpoint. It is not close enough to cause damage, but it is a grim reminder of what could happen.
Forest Highlands is a gated, golf community, located on Highway 89A heading south to Sedona from downtown Flagstaff. In the past, residents have had “red” alerts when there have been fires in the canyon, so I have personally experienced wondering what I would take from our cottage in the event we had to evacuate.
Forest Highlands is surrounded by state forest land and the state has taken measures to insure our safety in the event of a forest fire. In the last three years, the state has done heavy thinning of the trees in the forest around the property and heading down the Canyon toward Sedona. The purpose of this thinning process is to have the trees far enough apart that fire can’t jump from one canopy (top of the tree) to another. A fire can get close, but this method allows the state fire service to isolate and stop the spread of the flames more quickly.
Within Forest Highlands, residents have to keep their trees thinned out. In addition, homeowners are required to rake up and bag pine needles and other debris that has accumulated during the winter months. You know it is spring when you drive into the community and see the huge piles of baged pine needles awaiting pickup by the homeowners’ association.
