A wildfire burning just six miles north of Flagstaff, 亚利桑那, has prompted evacuations for hundreds of people, and thousands more have been told by authorities to prepare for future evacuation, authorities said Sunday night.
The Pipeline Fire was first reported by a fire lookout at around 10:15 上午. Sunday and has grown to 4,500 英亩, 根据 InciWeb, a US clearinghouse for wildfire information. Burning slightly west of Schultz Pass, the blaze is active on all sides and continues to grow, InciWeb said.
总共 690 households have been ordered to evacuate and another group of households has been informed they may have to evacuate soon or imminently, Coconino County spokesman Trey Williams told CNN Sunday evening. An additional 2,410 households have been told to prepare for imminent evacuation.
As of Sunday night, no homes or structures had been destroyed, InciWeb said.
While the cause of the blaze is under investigation, authorities arrested a 57-year-old man Sunday in connection with the fire, the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office said in a 新闻发布.
After responding to a report of a fire off Snowbowl Road, deputies were told there was a white pickup truck seen leaving the area of the Pipeline Fire, 发布说. Deputies stopped a vehicle matching the description and arrested the driver. The man was charged with federal natural resource violations, 发布说, but regulations prohibit his name, photo or charges from being released.
CNN has reached out to the sheriff’s office for more details about the arrest.
Less than two months ago, hundreds of households in Flagstaff were forced to evacuate due to the Tunnel Fire, which burned about 14 miles northeast of the city. 火, which began April 17, ultimately burned about 19,000 英亩, according to InciWeb.
A shelter for displaced families has been set up by the American Red Cross at Flagstaff’s Sinagua Middle School, which also hosted the evacuation site for the Tunnel Fire.
总共, 270 fire personnel are battling the Pipeline Fire, which has more than quadrupled in size since Sunday morning. As many as eight air tankers and five helicopters were deployed Sunday to combat the growing flames and more are expected to join the efforts Monday, according to InciWeb.
An Incident Management Team is expected to arrive Monday to assume management of the wildfire and supply additional resources and personnel, InciWeb said in a release.
