Museum Fire near Flagstaff growing, forcing evacuations
Jul 21, 2019, 3:41 PM | Updated: 5:25 pm
(Twitter Photo/Coconino NF)
PHOENIX — A new fire burning north of Flagstaff has forced an evacuation notice for recreation areas as it continues to grow Sunday afternoon.
The Museum Fire jumped to 400 acres at 4 p.m. after it was first reported by the Coconino National Forest Service at around noon.
The evacuation notice is for the recreational areas of Forest Road 420 to Highway 89 and Schultz Pass Road, according to the Coconino National Forest.
#MuseumFire Coconino County Emergency Management latest news release: “An evacuation notice has been issued for…” (see image attached) pic.twitter.com/2TFkVeKQEw
— Coconino NF (@CoconinoNF) July 21, 2019
A pre-evacuation notice has also been issued for the area of Forest Road 420 to Freidlein Prairie, the national forest said.
Smoke from the fire is visible from Flagstaff and those using U.S. Highways 180 and 89 north of Flagstaff should use extreme caution, according to the InciWeb report.
There are about 180 wildland firefighters and more than a dozen aircraft fighting the wildfire.
A Type 1 Incident Management Team has been ordered for the fire and is expected to arrive Monday.
“My thoughts and prayers are with the firefighters and first responders working to protect Arizonans, their pets and their property,” Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey said in a press release. “Thank you for your dedicated efforts. We will continue to monitor the situation and deploy additional resources as necessary.”