I'm sorry, poor choice of words, I meant not down to the bottom of the canyon at 89A, as you said.

I am hearing different things about where the containment lines are at this point on the north side of the fire. I guess this is a situation where they are making decisions as they go along, and it just changes too frequently to get word out to the public- they are too busy fighting the fire. I wish the media coverage was better and more frequently updated though.

Here is another update from this morning from the Arizona 211 Emergency site:

http://www.az211.gov/index.php?optio...iew&id=484

emd: the above report covers the situation well. Good reporting. It must be difficult keeping current during a struggle that changes hour by hour.

Surely many must be getting very tired. We see the men and women taking a breather in our little subdivision's park, stretched out under the trees, trying to cool off in this furnace heat. Wife & I take iced tea and donuts over to them to show our appreciation. But we can only watch and hope the winds cooperate.

My friend at Junipine is on their board of directors and they are getting periodic updates from the Incident Manangment team which jive w/that above site's info, so it seems pretty accurate.

It must just be an inferno to fight a fire in 100 degree heat. I'm sure they appreciate the iced tea and human contact w/people in the town. I never realized how many large fires are burning in the southwest at any one time (this time of year) until I started looking into these fire management sites in the past few days.

For those of you who might not know the canyon area as well as others, there is a good map of the canyon showing where the fire is and where the lines are being drawn here-- go to this page, and on the right side scroll down and click on MAPS at the 2nd icon, "Fire's Movement Through the Canyon"

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articl...Fire22-ON.html


However, note that that map has a new fire containment line drawn at Bootlegger trail. Although some reports early today said there was consideration to making Bootlegger the next containment line, I have also seen (eg. on the 211 site) and heard reports saying that hot shot firefighters and helicopters are being used today to try to hold the fire just past the Sterling containment line that was breached by the fire. I have not seen reports confirming that Bootlegger is in fact the new containment line, and it is not clear to me that the line on that map at Bootlegger trail is really the new line...we'll have to see what the reports late tonight or early in the a.m. say about that and where they really decided to draw that new line if their continued efforts in Sterling canyon area are/were not successful today.

THey are still trying to hold the fire at Sterling Canyon....

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articl...Fire22-ON.html

emd and USNR, thank you so much for these reports, and for the links to more information. My DH and I spent several days in Sedona in late April and fell in love with the area. It's heartbreaking to think what is happening to this incredibly beautiful locale. I've been frustrated trying to find much information about what is happening; the news stories I find on the internet are pretty much the same thing rehashed with a few new details added periodically. Your reports are very much appreciated. We hiked along the West Fork of Oak Creek and were awed by it's splendor; I fervently hope they can stop the fire before it gets that far. My prayers are with the firefighters and people of the Sedona Area.

Sara, I also love the West Fork hike and area. I hope they stop it before that, as there are houses before West Fork. My friends complex, Junipine and Junipine Estates, are near AB Young trail, before West Fork, in an area where the canyon becomes steeper (less sloped) going up on the side, so there is not as much area btwn the top of the ridge and the creek there as there is in some other parts of the canyon. I know, as I have hiked AB Young, a swithcback trail from Junipine up to almost the top of the canyon-- and it is a switchback because it is so steep a climb. This is one thing that concerns me.

But so far as of this afternoon, they are holding the north side of the fire around or just beyond Sterling Canyon, which is great news. I just always wonder what the real current news is since we get it several hrs beyond real time.

I have great memories of West Fork also...one year when my daughter was about 9 (and she is not much of a hiker, although the rest of us are) we convinced her to go on the West Fork trail in late June in 98 degree heat. It was nice being on that trail because it goes down in the side canyon of west fork and stays close to the creek and you hop over the creek several times, as you know, and it is tree covered at the start, and you get shade from the canyon walls later in the hike. Before she realized it we had hiked 3 miles in! But then she crashed and we almost had to carry her out. It took us 3 times longer to get out of there, and she swore she would never go hiking again. Lucikly she didn't keep to that pronoucement. But she ALWAYS asks now, "HOW FAR ARE WE HIKING?" before she will go!

Those cliffs toward the end of West fork are so wonderful and beautiful. Almost like hiking the narrows at Zion but you don't have to get that wet and cold, etc. And that big rock in the middle of the creek about 2 1/2 miles in- my kids climbed it and played on it for a half hour.

oh, and that was the hike where we learned the value of always having a whistle with you when you hike! It is not a complicated trail but somehow on the way back we were tired and got lost after we crossed the creek one time- went quite a ways and then realized we were not really on the trail. There were not many people out late that day, it was getting late, we were in heavy lush brush, and I said forget this, and just blew the whistle very loud and long. We got immediate response from two hikers nearby who came and showed us how to get back to the creek so we could get out.

So many good memories of so many trails and good times w/different people in the Coconino National Forest area.

New site, courtesy of my Junipine friend- a radio station site. It is starting to sound like they may be having some success on the north side, containing the fire around Sterling Canyon.

http://www.620ktar.com/?nid=6&sid=190617

Temperature forecast for Friday: 105 degrees. South/southwest wind, 10 mph. Possibility of thunderstorms w/ dry lightning late in day -- and that is not good. Fires still burning tonight, but lines are holding. Winds calm.

USNR, I awoke this morning as the radio alarm came on, and the first thing I heard was a story from CBS radio on the fire and the potential for lightening in Oak Creek today. Then I turned on the computer and saw your post.

Here is the updaate from late last night. It sounds like they had a good day yesterday and were abel to hold back the fire just before Slide Rock and at Sterling Canyon.

I just hope there is no lightening today.

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articl...Fire22-ON.html

Also, on the Arizona 211 site there is news on what the firefighters need- they are asking for donations of phone cards (so they can call home on breaks) and stamped postcards. It looks like the Chamber of Commerce and City of Sedona are taking those donations- addresses are posted on the site.

http://www.az211.gov/index.php?optio...iew&id=484

Another community meeting is being held today at noon:

http://www.fs.fed.us/r3/coconino/fir...06/index.shtml

The reports are that the fire management team is saying they could contain it in 6 more days, if weather and wind conditions hold.

The reward for info on who started the fire is now up to 11K. from 5K in last few days.

emd: your information is correct. The day is starting out hot and clear, with minimum wind. A pillar of smoke still rises from the north edges of the fire which burned all night. Air quality started out poor this morning but should improve as the day wears on. We suspect the fire crews have gone into overload on the donuts donated by the locals. Canyon residents who had to abandon their homes and businesses on very short notice have been making speedy turnaround trips to retrieve possessions. We are hanging in there, hoping the winds stay down and that what lightning may occur toward nightfall will not ignite more fires.

USNR, things are sounding more positive to me with the holding of the lines right at Slide Rock and Sterling Canyon. Early yesterday I had heard of possible new containment lines beyond Bootlegger, but now maybe there will be no need for that since they are holding the line at Sterling Canyon. We just need good weather, low to no wind, and they seem to think they can contain this by middle of next week. What a relief that would be.

I know it must be incredibly hard for the local community, not only the stress of the fire and people being displaced and the closing of 89A which so many tourists use to go from Sedona to GC, but as of today having the entire Coconino Forest and all of the trails closed. I hope Sedona gets the monsoons this year and the forest can reopen, and that the community can recover economically and emotionally quickly after this is over. I just made reservations to come in September for the Jazz on the Rocks festival. It is our 20th wedding anniversary and we will spend it in Sedona.

It is just amazing that no structures or persons have been harmed so far! Those firefighters are just so heroic and good at what they do.

Report from the radio station site. It says the dry thunderstorms are scheduled to hit at about 2 pm, if they do come. I hope not...

http://www.620ktar.com/?nid=6&sid=190617

1730 23 June 06 hardly a cloud in the sky in Sedona area. Temp 99; 7% humidity. Almost no wind. It doesn't get much better.

USNR, I hope the worst part is over.

So no lightning today then? That's great. Sleep well tonight!

I am reading that there was a pronouncement by the Sedona police chief at the community meeting today that there is now a zero tolerance policy going into effect for illegal camping by transients and for any campfires. They dismantled 7 such transient camping sites today. But I also read that Flagstaff has already been doing this for years, and that the new protocol in Sedona will be to give transients a warning first and then second time give them jail time. I think that is very liberal given that this fire was started from an illegal transient campsite fire. I am surprised they are not just going to give anyone jail time the first time they are caught- they certainly are forewarned by this current fire which is now costing over 2 million dollars.

http://www.620ktar.com/index.php?sid=190290&nid=193

http://www.620ktar.com/index.php?sid=190790&nid=6

Hi emd, in one of the website, CNN or USAToday, there was an article that the expectation is that the SW will be a cinderbox by July 4th. That is so scary.

Good evening, LoveItaly! I don't watch CNN, too sensational for me. I have learned to love the official fire sights first, and the local news stations second, and I don't watch or listen to anything else on these fires. These fires are fought one fire at a time, and as we have seen over the last 5 days, they can hopefully be contained.

But it would be best to stop the preventable ones like the two that have happened in Sedona area in June (the first one being in Village of Oak Creek in early June, from a workman who set off sparks while working on a metal fence on private property- that fire destroyed a home and a few other bldgs.)

The other fires, the ones that start spontaneously from lighning strikes, etc., I don't think you can stop them from starting. The drought conditions are so awful. But it seems that so very many of the fires this time of yr. are so preventable.