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Lightning sparks Kendrick fire

The lightning storm the area surrounding Williams experienced last Wednesday sparked a little panic into some residents when six forest fires sprang to life.

Nok-Noi Hauger/WGCN

Large plumes of smoke have been visible from the Pumpkin Center fire that was sparked by lightning May 24. As of Tuesday, the fire had burned 7,000 acres and was still burning out of control.

The biggest one — The Pumpkin Center fire is still burning uncontrolled.

“As of right now we’re looking at over 7,000 acres,” said Capt. Tim Jackson of the Parks-Bellemont Fire District (PBFD) late Monday night. “It’s still burning out of control.”

The fire started on the Kendrick Mountain Wilder-ness, 20 miles from Williams, Wednesday night and had burned 200 acres by Thursday morning, Jackson said.

By 3 p.m. Thursday the fire had already jumped two roads, Jackson said. At this time Jackson and Coconino County Sheriff’s Department volunteer Herb Johnson were manning a roadblock into Pumpkin Center and Kendrick, nine miles north of Parks.

“Hikers were evacuated this morning (May 26) by the Forest Service,” said Johnson, who lives near Kendrick Mountain in Parks. “The hikers, Pumpkin Center and several camps were evacuated.”

The Pumpkin Center fire caused quite a few concerns for the 10,400-foot Kendrick Mountain and a fire lookout tower and historic cabin, built in 1912, on the mountain’s peak.

“They slurried the tower up there,” Jackson said to protect it from the fire.

Firefighters also wrapped the cabin in insulated aluminum sheeting to protect it from the fire’s advance and evacuated the crew. As of Monday the fire was within a half of a mile from the peak.

A crew of 700 firefighters, including Hot Shot crews, three air tankers, five helicopters, 20 engines and three bulldozers are currently attacking the fire. Jackson said the blaze, as of Monday, is 15-20 percent contained. The rough terrain has been named as the reason the fire is not in control. Thick underbrush has made the ground literally impassable for firefighters. The good news is no homes have been destroyed.

“Nothing has been lost so far,” Jackson said. “If the wind changes we could be in some trouble.”

The fire did skirt a ranch house and barn, north of Kendrick, without causing any damage. June 5 is the expected date of half containment, Jackson said.

Parks residents had other concerns. One Parks women stopped to ask the PBFD personnel if she should start to move her dogs.

“Twenty-nine dogs are hard to evacuate,” she said.

Johnson assured her if the area was going to be evacuated she would be informed with plenty of time to take care of her dogs.

The community of Parks has not sat on its hands during this crisis — they have really helped out, Jackson said.

“All the stores have helped us out,” he said about the Parks General Store and the Parks Feed and Mercantile, which have stayed open to provide services and to feed the crews. “Our auxiliary was really there for us and brought us food and all that stuff.”

Fire tankers and helicopters, hired out of Prescott, have been assaulting the fire since Thursday, Jackson said. He said the men and women helping to fight the fire are “honestly, from all over the place.”

The Kaibab and Coconino forests areas surrounding Kendrick, including Forest Service Roads 171 and 141 have been closed. However, U.S. Route 180, which runs along the back side of Kendrick from Valle to Flagstaff is still open.

The other fires in the area included the Reneke fire, two miles southeast of town, and the Coleman fire, seven miles south of town, a two-acre fire in Sycamore Canyon Wilderness, plus others in the Kaibab forest surrounding Williams.

Sunday afternoon an area just north of Slide Rock State Park also fell victim to fire, causing the popular attraction to close Memorial Day.


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