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Wallow Fire updated map PM June 7

14 comments

The Wallow Fire is still active on all fronts with movement to the east, west, north, n/w, n/e and even some active fire on the south perimeter. Alpine is completely surrounded as is Nutrioso. The fire wants the town of Greer but will come up against the best the Forest Service has to throw at it. It’s clear the big containment box is Highway 260 to the north and Highway 18 to the N/E. They already lost it farther south on 180. The Wallow Fire is the perfect storm of low fuel moisture, wind, topography and location.

Location, or more precisely lack of population is probably why there is a low ratio of firefighters to acreage involved. All considered there should be twice the resources committed to the incident.
There is still no definitive damage report from Nutrioso or Alpine and the incident PIO is very slow to get information out to the public. In the age of Twitter and Facebook there is no excuse for the continued silence.

Springerville/Eagar weather call for winds at 22 mph from the S/W tomorrow, mirroring today’s wind.


Imagery from GeoMac.

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Posted by on June 7, 2011 • Filed under: wildfires, Wildland, wildland fire • Tagged:
  • jim

    my name is Jim. i too have a home in Alpine.  i talked to a friend on mon, who also has a home in the highlands, was told the fire yook out about 4 homes in the CC on sun-mon. no other report since then. hpoe this might help?? good luck to all!!!

  • RClaborne

    I also have a home in TalWiWi, last road onthe south. The lack of info  is very frustrating thankfully, our friend on the ground mentioned by McMahon gives us at least some info. As I write this Springer and Eager are under full evac. Godspeed to those on the front lines.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_OICXCUZPUKQ6CP7YWD6KAOM56Q Rayne B

    We can all thank the Sierra Club for years of lawsuits in forcing courts to order that the Forestry department can’t thin the forest which has magnified the cost in damage now. Everyone should send them the bill.

  • http://twitter.com/Carolinacactus Carolina Cactus

     Hi Alpine Guy, I am not as familiar w/ Alpine as I am w/ Greer, but I’m facebook friends with a firefighter who’s fighting in Alpine.  He posted pics that showed homes saved in Cooper Mtn.  I don’t know if that’s close to Alpine Estates.  I don’t know if that helps you or not.

    My family in Greer is in the same no information bubble as you guys are.

    I’m literally scanning facebook for friends int he area who give updates that are far more valuable than @AS_NF, and the two PIO Twitter people who are posting pics of getting ready for the media briefing, and retweeting @AS_NF. 

  • Alpine Guy

     John,

    My thoughts are with you. Those of us with property in Alpine are in the same boat right now. I don’t suppose you could ask your man on the ground about the status of Alpine Estates? We have a home there, and I can’t get ANY information about the area. I’m just curious to know if any structures have been damaged in that subdivision, and if so, how many.

    Good luck.

    Alpine Guy

  • John McMahon

    Good information and insight.  We’ve got a cabin in TalWiWi between Alpine and Nutrioso just south of where it crossed the highway.  As much as I don’t want to second guess the folks trying to save the place, I too have struggled with the lack of timely information and vagueness on damage reporting.  The only kind of bad information is misinformation, which often is the result of the lack of information from the appropriate sources.  I even saw where one of the representatives was saying social media is the worst thing for such an event.  Fortunately, we have our own man on the ground in the neighborhood sharing status reports that are being dissemintated via email to the rest of the neighborhood.  Unfortunately, the latest activity showing up on MODIS as the three red circles in the middle of the Alpine area of your map, were originally reported by our guy yesterday and had calmed down over night, last showing up in yellow, but the day’s winds have apparently re-stoked it. 

    Given this is some of the most prime realestate (the land not the homes) in the state if not the country, it sure would have been a good idea to have had fire restrictions in place for the red flag holiday weekend to begin with.  Lacking that, if they would have put a fraction of the resources on it to nip it in the bud before it became such a monster, we would have all been better off.

    On a positive note, I know of cabins in Alpine within the burn area that the fire stayed on the ground with no damage to structure or even trees on the properties.  As much as I too get alarmed to see the coverage on the map, it’s not all bad news.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_VICGPNXULZHYFFGS2IAP46VHX4 MIKE

    Thank you Ramon. My map shows 18 in AZ and 180 in NM. Of course you are right. Thanks again. @ Carolina Cactus, thank you for the info. Best to your friends and family in the area.

  • Ramon_orona

    that is highway US 180 not 18

  • http://twitter.com/Carolinacactus Carolina Cactus

    Agree with  you 1000% on the lack of info.  I’m in North Carolina-parents in Greer/other family in  Springerville and Eagar, I’m monitoring Twitter/Facebook for info.  I’m getting most of the info to pass on from friends on facebook and media!! on Twitter.  It’s frustrating that local Apache Sitgreaves employees aren’t getting the info out.  I understand that the fire is so huge, that there have to be folks brought in, but people working out of Springerville and Alpine have worked there for 20-30 years.  Frustration.

    The majority of tweets I’m seeing from Apache Sitgreaves are links to the flickr page.  

  • Alpine Guy

    Mike,

    Thanks for all you’re doing. Since you’re a fire professional, I trust your judgment. I was afraid that I was overreacting to the lack of information. I work in the public relations industry myself, so I understand that the PIOs have a very difficult job right now. It just seems like there’s a lack of detailed reporting on this fire.

     

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_VICGPNXULZHYFFGS2IAP46VHX4 MIKE

    Alpine Guy, I feel for you. I cannot understand their silence. I will keep on it. I updated the blog a minute ago. Look at what is coming at Springerville and Eagar. Good luck to you friend.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_VICGPNXULZHYFFGS2IAP46VHX4 MIKE

    Alpine Guy, I feel for you. I cannot understand their silence. I will keep on it. I updated the blog a minute ago. Look at what is coming at Springerville and Eagar. Good luck to you friend.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_VICGPNXULZHYFFGS2IAP46VHX4 MIKE

    Alpine Guy, I feel for you. I cannot understand their silence. I will keep on it. I updated the blog a minute ago. Look at what is coming at Springerville and Eagar. Good luck to you friend.

  • Alpine Guy

    Mike,

    Your blog has been invaluable during this tragic event. I own a cabin in the middle of Alpine, and have no idea how well my property or the community at large is weathering this fire. We’re getting absolutely no specific information from the Forest Service. Surely they can give us a rough idea if homes have been lost in certain subdivisions, if the business area of town has been impacted, etc. All we’re getting is vague generalities about “structures being involved in the event.” That’s not good enough. That’s why property owners like myself are roaming the Web looking for detailed information. Unfortunately, a lot of what we’re reading on the Internet is rumor or hearsay. IMHO, it’s time the incident commanders to start leveling with the community. I’d rather know our fate than twist in the wind.

    BTW: In your opinion, based on what you know, how long will it be before Alpine is out of danger?