Arizona wildfires: intense conditions send smoke plumes billowing into sky

Fueled by gusty winds through drought-stricken remote terrain, wildfires burning north of Flagstaff, Arizona, exploded in size on Monday, with officials estimating more than 24,000 acres (9,700 hectares) had been blackened by Tuesday morning.

Fire crews battling the blaze have faced intense conditions that have caused extreme fire behavior and sent enormous smoke plumes swirling into the sky.

By Tuesday, the winds had calmed and aircraft were again in motion, offering hope that progress could be made on the fire while conditions were more favorable.

The blaze was also pushing into Coconino Peaks wilderness area and tribal lands and cultural sites to the north, Graeser said.

Residents around the city looked toward the mountains as smoke billowed through the air and winds howled, some scared, some nervous most hoping that moisture in the forecast later this week brings some relief.

The climate crisis has set the stage for increasing wildfire intensity, delivering hotter temperatures that bake moisture out of parched landscapes. Wildfires broke out early this spring in multiple states in the western US, where the climate crisis and an enduring drought are fanning the frequency and intensity of forest and grassland fires.

The number of square miles burned so far this year is more than double the 10-year national average, and states like New Mexico have already set records with devastating blazes that destroyed hundreds of homes while causing environmental damage that is expected to affect water supplies.

Nationally, more than 6,200 wildland firefighters are battling nearly three dozen uncontained fires that had charred more than 1m acres (405,000 hectares), according to the National Interagency Fire Center.

In California, evacuations were ordered for about 300 remote homes near a wildfire that flared up over the weekend in forest land north-east of Los Angeles near the Pacific Crest trail in the San Gabriel mountains. It had scorched about 990 acres (400 hectares) of pine trees and dry brush as of Monday and was 27% contained, said fire spokesperson Dana Dierkes.

A second fire in Tehama county in northern California had destroyed 10 buildings, damaged four others and threatened about 160 structures, fire officials said. It was 20% contained Monday night.

A springtime fire outside Flagstaff, named the Tunnel fire, destroyed more than two dozen homes before it was contained earlier this month. Many residents who evacuated then have been forced to leave their homes a second time, barely given enough time to settle back in before the onslaught of a new blaze.

Associated Press contributed reporting