June 14, 2022 - Coconino National Forest Ablaze

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Three fires ignited in tinder-dry conditions Arizona’s Coconino
National Forest north and northeast of Flagstaff on June 12, 2022. High
temperatures, humidity as low as six percent, and wind gusts reported
as high as 49 mph (74 km/h) fed extreme fire behavior.

The Pipeline Fire was first seen by a fire lookout around 10:15 a.m.
local time on June 12. By the evening of June 13, the fire had spread
to scorch 5,000 acres and triggered evacuations. At 11:00 p.m. EDT on
June 12, the Coconino County Situational Awareness Viewer noted the
following areas in Evacuation Status Go: Areas of Schultz Pass Road and
Arizona Snowbowl, Timberline, Crater Estates Area, O’Leary, McCann
Estates, and Doney Park North. Areas in Evacuation Status Set: Mt Elden
Lookout Road/Mt Elden Estates, Doney Park South, and Antelope Hills. A
status report on InciWeb Incident Information System states “Exact size
of wildfire is currently unknown since it is continually growing.
Infrared flyovers help provide a more accurate estimation, which are
usually conducted at night.” The cause of the Pipeline Fire is
officially listed as “under investigation”, a news article published on
InciWeb on June 12 stated that a 57-year-old male was arrested by
Forest Service law enforcement officials in connection with the
wildfire and charged with natural resource violations. No further
details of the investigation were given.

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board
NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired a true-color image of the Pipeline Fire
on June 13. Red “hot spots” mark where the thermal bands on the
instrument detected high temperatures. Combined with the typical gray
smoke plume, those hot sports mark actively burning fire. Smoke is
blowing strongly to the northeast, pushed by strong winds.

Since this image was acquired, two additional fires were spotted, each
burning to the northeast of the Pipeline Fire and in the area that is
under smoke in this image. The Haywire Fire was first reported at about
5:13 a.m. on June 13. It is burning about seven miles northeast of the
Pipeline Fire and is thought to have originated from a lightning strike
although the cause is still under investigation. As of the evening of
June 13, the Haywire Fire reached 1,600 acres in size. The Double fire
was spotted at about 4:13 on the afternoon of June 12 and also thought
to be caused by lightning strike. It is located about two miles south
of the Haywire Fire and is about 500 acres in size. It is expected that
the Haywire and Double Fires will soon combine.

The three fires are burning around the burn scar of the Tunnel Fire, a
blaze that began on April 17 and consumed 19,088 acres north of
Flagstaff before it was fully contained on June 3. The Pipeline Fire
appears to have reached the southwestern side of the Tunnel Fire while
the Haywire and Double Fires are close to the northeastern side.

Image Facts
Satellite: Aqua
Date Acquired: 6/13/2022
Resolutions: 1km (48.3 KB), 500m (164 KB), 250m (512.9 KB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit: MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC



https://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/individual.php?db_date=2022-06-14

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