Officials on Cedar Creek Fire: Be ready to evacuate

Navajo County officials are warning residents living near the fire that they must be ready to evacuate.

The Cedar Creek Fire burning about 10 miles south of Show Low had consumed nearly 5,300 acres by Thursday morning, according to the latest figures released by Navajo County. 

As fire crews work to gain the upper hand on the blaze, the potential for explosive growth looms. Forecasts call for dry conditions and winds gusting up to 30 mph.

How the fire is contained today is "pivotal" for determining if evacuation is needed, said Navajo County officials at a press conference Thursday morning. 

“In the event of an evacuation, we'll already have our officers in the community to help people get out," Navajo County Sheriff KC Clark said. “Today's going to be a very pivotal day. If we get through today, I think we're going to be all right.”

Several hundred law-enforcement workers and firefighters from across the state are available to assist in the effort, officials said. 

“The trigger points are almost nine miles from the city, so there will be plenty of time for people to evacuate,” Clark said.

The blaze was the second wildfire in a week to menace residents of Arizona's high country,  this time forcing residents in Show Low, Pinetop-Lakeside and surrounding communities to prepare to evacuate just as residents of Yarnell did a week ago. 

The Cedar Creek Fire had grown to more than 3,000 acres by Wednesday evening, sending plumes of smoke billowing through the scenic White Mountains and sparking flashbacks to the infamous Rodeo-Chedeski Fire, one of the largest in recorded state history, that ravaged the area 14 years ago.

The fire prompted Navajo County to evacuate the community of Forestdale and issue pre-evacuation orders for the popular summertime havens of Show Low, Pinetop-Lakeside, McNary, Fort Apache and Hon-Dah. A shelter for evacuees was set up at the junior high school in Snowflake but moved to the high school.

Road closures also remained in effect in the area on Thursday morning, including a 19-mile stretch of U.S. 60 south of Show Low. 

Some residents were waiting to see what would happen while others decided to go ahead and leave.

Donna Walker of Show Low packed her trunk full Wednesday night with necessities including food and medicine, checking the fire status regularly. When she heard the fire increased to more than 5,000 acres Thursday morning at a community meeting, she decided to head down to her carriage home in Mesa.

"This is my first fire," Walker said, adding that she lives 10 miles from where the fire had spread. "I thought it would be bumper to bumper heading out, and I'm surprised it's not. I have to call my girlfriend and tell her to get on the road."

Paula Schneider, store manager of Maverick Gas and Country Store in Show Low, said the station has been busy.

“There seems to be some panic,” Schneider said. “This isn’t the first time this has happened here. It’s scary.”

Residents have been calling the store to ask if there is room at the gas pumps, Schneider said.

“Our store is very busy,” Schneider said. “I have a car at every pump right now." 

Schneider said their gas and propane are well-supplied and that she intends to stay open as long as the employees’ safety isn’t at risk. 

“We are also planning to donate water and Gatorade to the firefighters,” Schneider said. “We have another store locally that is asking customers if they want to purchase Gatorade for the firefighters, and that’s been very successful.”

Ryan White, who works in Show Low, said he was seeing a lot of smoke and ash.

“Fire is still on the outskirts of town. But the smoke is really bad. Wind is really getting bad," he said Wednesday night. "The wind seems to be pushing it right toward Show Low, Pinetop areas. I could smell the fire around noon; went to look outside the shop and could see the smoke building. We are northeast of the fire.”

By late afternoon, fire administrators had ordered a trio of air tankers and Type 1 fire crews, which typically battle the most intense wildfires in the country. The Arizona Department of Transportation reported that smoke from the fire had shut down a portion of U.S. 60 in both directions from State Route 73 to just south of Show Low.

The cause of the fire was not known.

Gov. Doug Ducey in a statement said his staff was keeping him updated on the fire's progress.

“I have instructed my senior staff, the State Forester, the Department of Emergency and Military Affairs and the Department of Public Safety to provide all necessary support to local and federal agencies as they work to control the fire and protect the Pinetop-Lakeside, Show Low and White Mountain Apache communities from danger," he said. "This area has experienced severe wildfires before, so the state is on high alert given the additional risks posed by current weather conditions. Whether it’s resources, support or backup, we stand at the ready to provide fire officials and our brave and talented first responders with all they need to safeguard Arizonans from this fire."

Weather challenges

The fire outside of Show Low was one of several that produced smoke plumes visible from radar on Wednesday afternoon.

According to the National Weather Service, weather conditions for the weekend could help the fire to spread and make efforts more difficult for firefighters. The weather is expected to get warmer and drier in the area, with wind slowing down as the weekend progresses.

“With the winds becoming lighter it’ll help a bit, but with the temperature rising, that’s not going to be too helpful because it’s definitely going to be getting drier and warmer, and it just kind of pushes the fuels to increase their burnability,” a meteorologist with the National Weather Service said.

Thursday’s forecast high was 85 degrees, and temps were rise thereafter, hitting 100 in the area by Sunday.

Severe fire season

Earlier this year, experts had warned this could be a severe fire season.

Current conditions, with high fuel levels and exceptionally dry and high temperatures, resemble those of the catastrophic 2002 and 2011 fire seasons, according to the Department of Forestry and Fire Management. In 2002, the mammoth blaze known as the Rodeo-Chediski Fire burned more than 460,000 acres near where the Cedar Creek Fire is burning now, and the Wallow, Horseshoe Two and Murphy fires combined charred more than 800,000 acres across the state.

Already this year, a wildfire driven by gusty winds erupted in western Arizona, with flames so intense that they jumped the Colorado River into California. The fire scorched more than 2,200 acres and caused the evacuation of a resort and two nearby mobile-home parks. Last week, the human-caused Tenderfoot Fire forced the evacuation of about 300 residents in Yarnell and Peeples Valley and burned more than 4,000 acres. 

Although Arizona’s fire season is generally considered to run from late May through the onset of the monsoon, each year it appears more clear that fires no longer are confined to a single season. They have become a continual threat, burning earlier and later in the year.

The biggest suspected culprit, according to forestry officials: climate change. Moderate drought, drier winters and warmer springs mean less moisture on the land and more in the air, turning brush and grass into kindling.

Fire history

Humongous wildfires have become a part of life for residents and cabin owners along Arizona’s Mogollon Rim, which claims the largest contiguous Ponderosa pine forest in the nation.

In May 2011, the Wallow Fire became the biggest inferno on record in the state when it torched 841 square miles and burned more than 60 structures. The blaze forced about 6,000 evacuations in Greer, Alpine, Springerville, Nutrioso and Eagar, and it also crossed into New Mexico.

Nine years earlier, the Rodeo-Chediski Fire scorched a path just to the west, burning 468,000 acres and destroying 268 structures. About 8,000 were evacuated during the blaze. The complex stemmed from two fires that started on the White Mountain Apache Reservation. One was an arson blaze, set by a firefighter near Cibecue on June 18, 2002; the other was a signal blaze ignited by a motorist who got lost in the woods. Flames swarmed into Heber-Overgaard, Pinedale and Clay Springs, and were barely turned back on the edge of Show Low.

No deaths resulted from either of the fires. But that was not true in the Dude Fire of June 1990, started by a dry lightning strike northeast of Payson. The blaze claimed the lives of six inmate firefighters. It did not hit any towns but raced through small cabin communities, wiping out 60 homes and forcing the evacuation of more than 1,150 people.

Three years ago, the Yarnell Hill Fire claimed the lives of 19 firefighters near Prescott. Last week the 4,000-acre Tenderfoot Fire erupted near the same area, forcing hundreds from their homes for several days. As of Wednesday, the fire was 80 percent contained. 

Republic reporter Dennis Wagner contributed to this article. Check back with azcentral.com for more details.