Seems to be a little optimism midafternoon as some at the scene are saying the winds have helped blow the fire back upon itself...slowing its spread. That allows a little more time to work on breaks to help protect the populated areas.
It is cooler...perhaps because the sun is blocked by the plume. Low 80's.
Can't see any of it from Phoenix because of visibilities less than 20 miles all day today in heavy dustladen air.
Fingers and toes crossed, please!!!!
New Fire Near Pinetop AZ
Moderator: S2k Moderators
-
mf_dolphin
- Category 5
- Posts: 17758
- Age: 68
- Joined: Tue Oct 08, 2002 2:05 pm
- Location: St Petersburg, FL
- Contact:
-
petal*pusher
- Category 2
- Posts: 532
- Joined: Sun Feb 09, 2003 11:56 am
- Location: Adrian, Mi
I'm here in Arizona visiting my sister in Prescott Valley. Our plans were to meet Dennis and Michelle for lunch while I'm here....only time will tell what lay ahead for our plans now 
Dennis and Michelle.....please know my prayers join the others for help in this dire situation. Knowing what we do about you from posts....we all do understand the difficulty you both had in leaving your home....but your safety is the main concern now. As I type, there are much needed gentle rains outside.....let's pray they are coming your way, my friend........Pam
Dennis and Michelle.....please know my prayers join the others for help in this dire situation. Knowing what we do about you from posts....we all do understand the difficulty you both had in leaving your home....but your safety is the main concern now. As I type, there are much needed gentle rains outside.....let's pray they are coming your way, my friend........Pam
0 likes
-
azsnowman
- Category 5
- Posts: 8591
- Joined: Wed Feb 05, 2003 8:56 pm
- Location: Pinetop Arizona. Elevation 7102' (54 miles west of NM border)
Break time........came home for a few hours, the situation grows worse with each passing hour, the fire is now at 10600 acres with 0% containment, the outlook, grim............
Steve, the winds did shift but only for a few minutes, the pyros that built collapsed, estimated winds within the fire, 80 mph+, that's the reason for the huge growth, as of 1400 hrs, the fire was at 6800 acres.........
The spot fire was hit very hard with the Sky Crane, seems to have eased off a little. We have Pinetop, Lakeside, ShowLow, Prescott, Snowflake, Holbrook, Winslow, Casa Grande, Florence Fire Depts along with Silver City, Heber, Black Mesa, Albq Hot Shots digging, bulldozing fire breaks along the base of Pinetop Mountain (the mountain seen in most of my shots just out my back door, approx 1/4 mile from my house), they are cutting a 75' fire line with the dozers, hand crews are falling, bucking trees on both sides of the line.
As of this hour, 1900 hrs...the winds have died down, rain..........less than .01", winds during the storm over 47 MPH gusts. The smoke and ash is unbelievable at this moment, air support is done for the night, crews will start their back burns at 2000 hrs, this could be interesting, the back burns will be less than a 1/4 mile from the house. The *offical* evac notice has yet to come, we've been on the roadblock duty waiting........the estimate now for the offical evac will be sometime in the morning, they are however asking ppl with small children, elderly, breathing problems to evac before nightfall, the inversion layer and the rise in humidity is going to cause the smoke to lay down in Pinetop, in fact, it already is......
We are going back out on the line in about an hour, it's time for a quick bite, sit for a second......
Dennis
Steve, the winds did shift but only for a few minutes, the pyros that built collapsed, estimated winds within the fire, 80 mph+, that's the reason for the huge growth, as of 1400 hrs, the fire was at 6800 acres.........
The spot fire was hit very hard with the Sky Crane, seems to have eased off a little. We have Pinetop, Lakeside, ShowLow, Prescott, Snowflake, Holbrook, Winslow, Casa Grande, Florence Fire Depts along with Silver City, Heber, Black Mesa, Albq Hot Shots digging, bulldozing fire breaks along the base of Pinetop Mountain (the mountain seen in most of my shots just out my back door, approx 1/4 mile from my house), they are cutting a 75' fire line with the dozers, hand crews are falling, bucking trees on both sides of the line.
As of this hour, 1900 hrs...the winds have died down, rain..........less than .01", winds during the storm over 47 MPH gusts. The smoke and ash is unbelievable at this moment, air support is done for the night, crews will start their back burns at 2000 hrs, this could be interesting, the back burns will be less than a 1/4 mile from the house. The *offical* evac notice has yet to come, we've been on the roadblock duty waiting........the estimate now for the offical evac will be sometime in the morning, they are however asking ppl with small children, elderly, breathing problems to evac before nightfall, the inversion layer and the rise in humidity is going to cause the smoke to lay down in Pinetop, in fact, it already is......
We are going back out on the line in about an hour, it's time for a quick bite, sit for a second......
Dennis
0 likes
-
Miss Mary
.-
M2
Not Again!
I hope you guys don't have to go through all that again....Saw Jim Paxton on
the news tonight down here. They said the fire has doubled in size since
yesterday and is now at 13,000 acres. Need the monsoon now, not later.
0 likes
-
azsnowman
- Category 5
- Posts: 8591
- Joined: Wed Feb 05, 2003 8:56 pm
- Location: Pinetop Arizona. Elevation 7102' (54 miles west of NM border)
Morning,
Well folks, today is *make it or break it* day....with the new day dawning, a little more optimistic feeling is in the air. The fire is by NO MEANS out, in fact, 10% containment, 13,200 acres now, another very active night of fire behavior, low dewpoints, very low humidity kept the fire running.
As DJ said with the Aspen Fire in Tucson, "Do not believe everything you hear, everything you read!" The media is *downplaying* the situation this year, with just cause I might add, with the panic situation they caused last year, they were told to *cool it*, people are in panic mode as it is, they don't need to add fuel to the fire so to speak.
The fire is now within .75 mile from the *trigger point*......it could breach that as early as 0900 and the true mandatory evacs will happen....let's pray it doesn't, but playing the devils advocate as I seem to do these days, I look for it to happen when the sun heats things up, say around 0830.
DJ'S *good friend and buddy* Larry Humphreys has a website up, good maps and info http://www.fireground.com
Let's keep our fingers x'd and keep the prayers a comin'..........let's hope by tonights update that the fire is slowing and the containment is up!
Dennis
Well folks, today is *make it or break it* day....with the new day dawning, a little more optimistic feeling is in the air. The fire is by NO MEANS out, in fact, 10% containment, 13,200 acres now, another very active night of fire behavior, low dewpoints, very low humidity kept the fire running.
As DJ said with the Aspen Fire in Tucson, "Do not believe everything you hear, everything you read!" The media is *downplaying* the situation this year, with just cause I might add, with the panic situation they caused last year, they were told to *cool it*, people are in panic mode as it is, they don't need to add fuel to the fire so to speak.
The fire is now within .75 mile from the *trigger point*......it could breach that as early as 0900 and the true mandatory evacs will happen....let's pray it doesn't, but playing the devils advocate as I seem to do these days, I look for it to happen when the sun heats things up, say around 0830.
DJ'S *good friend and buddy* Larry Humphreys has a website up, good maps and info http://www.fireground.com
Let's keep our fingers x'd and keep the prayers a comin'..........let's hope by tonights update that the fire is slowing and the containment is up!
Dennis
0 likes
-
azsnowman
- Category 5
- Posts: 8591
- Joined: Wed Feb 05, 2003 8:56 pm
- Location: Pinetop Arizona. Elevation 7102' (54 miles west of NM border)
If you will take note at the forecast winds, 10 gusting to 20 with the direction out of the South, that's NOT GOOD, NOT GOOD AT ALL! That could push this sucker RIGHT downtown by nightfall!
BTW.........Thanks a MILLION for all the prayers, I know there are other situations out there, like the clean up from Claudette that everyone else is dealing with, it is indeed, a rough time for all of us it seems like, Satan has been unleashed and is trying us VERY hard BUT.......we have to stick together in this!
BTW.........Thanks a MILLION for all the prayers, I know there are other situations out there, like the clean up from Claudette that everyone else is dealing with, it is indeed, a rough time for all of us it seems like, Satan has been unleashed and is trying us VERY hard BUT.......we have to stick together in this!
0 likes
-
azsnowman
- Category 5
- Posts: 8591
- Joined: Wed Feb 05, 2003 8:56 pm
- Location: Pinetop Arizona. Elevation 7102' (54 miles west of NM border)
"This isn't GOOD!"
The NAFD Flag:
DISCUSSION...A MID TO UPPER LEVEL RIDGE AND ASSOCIATED ANTICYCLONIC
CIRCULATION WAS CENTERED OVER THE NEW MEXICO/COLORADO BORDER THIS
MORNING. NOT MUCH CHANGE IN THIS BASIC PATTERN THROUGH FRIDAY. FOR
TODAY...EXPECT A REPEAT OF THE WEATHER OBSERVED ON TUESDAY. ISOLATED
TO SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS THAT WILL PRODUCE GUSTY WINDS BUT LITTLE
PRECIPITATION.
Dennis
The NAFD Flag:
DISCUSSION...A MID TO UPPER LEVEL RIDGE AND ASSOCIATED ANTICYCLONIC
CIRCULATION WAS CENTERED OVER THE NEW MEXICO/COLORADO BORDER THIS
MORNING. NOT MUCH CHANGE IN THIS BASIC PATTERN THROUGH FRIDAY. FOR
TODAY...EXPECT A REPEAT OF THE WEATHER OBSERVED ON TUESDAY. ISOLATED
TO SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS THAT WILL PRODUCE GUSTY WINDS BUT LITTLE
PRECIPITATION.
Dennis
0 likes
-
Stephanie
- S2K Supporter
- Posts: 23843
- Age: 63
- Joined: Thu Feb 06, 2003 9:53 am
- Location: Glassboro, NJ
I'm glad to see that you've been able to check in. I hope that the winds don't fire up - the forecasts seem to have been saying one thing and then something else happens. Hopefully it can just be contained long enough for some moisture from Claudette to be pulled in.
I'm thinking of you guys and praying!
I'm thinking of you guys and praying!
0 likes
-
azsnowman
- Category 5
- Posts: 8591
- Joined: Wed Feb 05, 2003 8:56 pm
- Location: Pinetop Arizona. Elevation 7102' (54 miles west of NM border)
JUST IN......THIS ISN'T GOOD!!! All hopes are down the drain.....the latest IR imag shows a 20,000 plume building already, it's 0640....I can see the HUGE plume from my kitchen window, thick, heavy black smoke rising........the suns not on the fire yet.....a Hot Shot crew maybe trapped.....PRAY!
Dennis
Dennis
0 likes
-
therock1811
- Category 5
- Posts: 5163
- Age: 39
- Joined: Thu May 15, 2003 2:15 pm
- Location: Kentucky
- Contact:
-
StormLover
- Tropical Low
- Posts: 20
- Joined: Wed Feb 12, 2003 7:45 am
- Location: Seminole, Florida
- Contact:
OMG! Not again!
Hey Dennis. This is "Ridion" from the old TWC days. Not again for you! You just went through this last year. My prayers are with you and your family. Please keep safe and let us know how things progress. God be with you and yours Dennis.
Carol
Carol
0 likes
Who is online
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 4 guests