What to know about the Greer Fire in eastern Arizona that has consumed 7,052 acres
The blaze continued to be fueled by high winds and drought-stricken fuels along with terrain challenges, the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management said in a Facebook post.
A "go" status was set residents south of State Route 260 and west of River Road, InciWeb said. All Eagar residents south of SR 260 between River Road and the SR 260/State Route 180 junction were in "set status."
More than 400 personnel were assigned to fight the fire including hotshot crews, hand crews, two state task forces of engines, local cooperator engines, water tenders, and dozers, the forestry department said.
Here's the latest information that evacuees need to know.
State Route 260 was closed in both directions between milepost 380 and milepost 394 near Greer, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation.
State Route 261 is closed from State Route 260 to the point of Pine Mountain, ADOT said.
There was no estimated time for reopening these highways. For real time traffic updates, drivers can visit AZ 511, download the AZ 511 mobile app or call 511.
Mandatory "go" evacuations were issued for residents south of SR 260 and west of River Road.
A "set" notification was initiated for all Eagar residents south of SR 260 and between River Road and the SR 260/180 junction. Residents were advised to be prepared to evacuate if necessary, according to a Facebook post by the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management.
A shelter was opened at the Apache County Fairgrounds in St. Johns. The fairgrounds have the capacity to house small and large animals.
The Alpine Community has opened a shelter at a Community Center in Alpine. Cots, blankets and food were available for those who had been evacuated, according to Apache County Office of Emergency Management's website.
The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality has activated a wildfire smoke forecast for the Greer Fire.
The ADEQ said Eagar and Springville residents could expect light to moderate impacts from wildfire smoke dispersing to the northeast.
The ADEQ added that light overnight smoke should impact areas adjacent to the fire site, and smoke will disperse to the east or northeast in the afternoon of May 15.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Greer Fire in eastern Arizona has now burned over 7,052 acres
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USA Today
4 days ago
- USA Today
Cram Fire in Oregon, the nation's largest blaze in 2025, nears megafire status
The Cram Fire in central Oregon became the nation's largest wildfire this year as the blaze neared 100,000 acres on July 20, destroying four homes and threatening hundreds of structures, authorities said. The fire, which broke out on July 13, exploded in size over recent days after hot and dry conditions and gusty winds increased wildfire risks in parts of the state. Fire crews were challenged during the week by changing wind directions and rugged, steep terrain, but cooler temperatures and higher humidity levels over the weekend are expected to help firefighting efforts. By 9 a.m. local time on July 20, the fire had expanded to 95,748 acres and was 49% contained, according to the Central Oregon Fire Information. The size of the fire was "slightly reduced" from July 19 after "more accurate mapping" was completed, officials said on the fire's information page. "Crews are building on the progress made yesterday and overnight," according to a July 20 update on the fire's information page. "Cooler temperatures and higher humidity are creating better conditions for mop-up work, especially along the fire perimeter and around structures." The fire ignited near Willowdale, a sparsely populated area about 133 miles southeast of Portland, and swept through grasslands and rangeland in the region, fire officials said. The cause of the blaze remains under investigation. Local authorities in Jefferson, Wasco, and Crook counties have issued evacuation orders or warnings across multiple zones. A total of four residences and two other structures were destroyed in the fire, according to the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office. The Cram Fire is one of at least 46 active wildfires, most of which have been contained, in Oregon, according to the state's fires and hotspots dashboard. The fire also leads the list of wildfire incidents in 2025, followed by the Madre Fire in central California that has burned nearly 81,000 acres, according to InciWeb, a federal government wildfire tracker. Arizona wildfire: The Grand Canyon fire exploded in size, catching officials off guard. Why? Cram Fire nears megafire status as officials warn of worsening wildfire conditions The Cram Fire has grown increasingly close to becoming Oregon's first megafire of the season. A megafire is defined by the National Interagency Fire Center as a wildfire that burns more than 100,000 acres of land. Fire officials said more than 900 personnel were responding to the blaze in addition to 88 fire engines, 18 handcrews, and eight helicopters. The Central Oregon Fire Information noted on July 20 that while fire behavior has moderated, crews continued to focus on gridding near the fire's perimeter and reducing materials that have the potential of fueling spot fires. "Yesterday was another favorable day with us with the weather, and so a lot of good work was done," Scott Stutzman, operations section chief of the Oregon State Fire Marshal, said in a video update on July 20. "We'll have those crews out there continuing to maintain a presence mopping up, and also assisting our wildland partners on the perimeter." On July 16, Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek declared a state of emergency that will last through the end of the year "due to the imminent threat of wildfire." Multiple large wildfires have already exploded in 2025, largely east of the Cascade Range, according to the Salem Statesman Journal, part of the USA TODAY Network. Oregon's wildfire danger is forecast to remain above normal through summer, the Salem Statesman Journal reported. "Oregon is already experiencing a devastating wildfire season that will have lasting consequences," Kotek said in a news release. "The summer is only getting hotter, drier, and more dangerous – we have to be prepared for worsening conditions." See maps: Which cities are experiencing poor air quality from wildfires? 'Fire activity is high across the country' The National Interagency Fire Center warned on July 20 that "fire activity is high across the country," adding that there are 91 large, uncontained wildfires. "Nearly 18,000 wildland firefighters and support personnel are on the ground nationwide," the center said in an update. "In 2025 thus far, there have been 40,934 total wildfires, for a combined acreage of 2,850,245." Hot, dry, and windy weather continues to fuel wildfire conditions across parts of the Northwest, Great Basin, and Southwest, according to the center. The center added that some areas were forecast to see wind gusts over 40 mph and low humidity levels "dropping into the single digits." The center noted that each year, thousands of wildfires in the United States are caused by people. "Major causes of these fires include loss of control of debris burning, unattended or unextinguished campfires, and sparks or heat transfer from vehicles and equipment like chainsaws or recreational vehicles," the center said. Contributing: Zach Urness and Rose Shimberg, Salem Statesman Journal
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Yahoo
After L.A. firestorms and Texas floods, forecasters haunted by warnings not being heard
Meteorologists warned about the chance of flash floods days before Texas' Fourth of July disaster that killed at least 133. Yet, local officials in the hardest-hit areas say they were shocked by the scale of the devastation. "I have cried on multiple occasions," Chris Suchan, chief meteorologist with WOAI-TV Channel 4, the NBC affiliate in San Antonio, wrote in a recent Facebook post. "At times, I've been overwhelmed with forecaster regret that I could have done more the night before in my weather report." Forecasters often issue alerts for possible flooding, landslides and "red flag" fire warnings multiple times a year. Sometimes, those warnings are followed by major catastrophes, but other times they are not. And that has led some to become complacent, rather than heeding the alerts. Read more: Warnings ignored: The grim connection between the L.A. wildfires and Texas floods Two massive disasters this year — the Texas floods and Los Angeles firestorms — are leading some to grapple with the question of how to get officials and the public to care and take action. In the case of Texas, Suchan said he is experiencing what he calls "forecaster regret." That's despite having presented viewers a weather forecast showing "a signal of localized flash flooding" on the afternoon of July 3 — hours before the disaster struck. During the 6 p.m. broadcast later that day, Suchan pointed to an area "where we could see storms develop and then train over the same area. ... And that is a classic flash-flooding signal here in 'Flash Flood Alley.'" The disconnect between available warnings and the action officials and the public takes has been seen repeatedly over the years, from inadequate preparations in California ahead of fire weather or flood alerts, to the failure of some communities to evacuate ahead of the catastrophic tsunami that hit Japan in 2011. Of course, there are times when alerts are taken seriously, and forecasters and officials are in the same room. For instance, the publicity around Hurricane Hilary in 2023 reached a fever pitch as it headed toward Southern California. L.A. Mayor Karen Bass stood at press briefings along with then-Fire Chief Kristin Crowley and the National Weather Service. No deaths were reported in California, despite significant flooding and harrowing rescues in the Coachella Valley. There are other instances where preparation has helped Southern California emerge from periods of severe fire weather or landslide danger — such as through public safety power shutoffs, or crews emptying debris basins to catch mud pouring from landslides. Read more: L.A.'s flood-control system survived epic storm. But it's losing battle with climate change The National Weather Service office in Oxnard, which issues forecasts for Los Angeles, has also made attempts to more clearly get its messages across. In 2019, the weather service issued an "extreme red flag" fire weather warning that got plenty of attention. During last fire season, the agency issued an unprecedented five "particularly dangerous situation" warnings ahead of forecast extreme fire weather conditions — including one on Jan. 6, a day before L.A. County's devastating wildfires began. Despite the weather service giving briefings as early as Dec. 30 about forecasted increasing fire weather danger, Bass was overseas in Ghana on Jan. 7, when the fire that destroyed much of Pacific Palisades began spreading rapidly. And the L.A. Fire Department, a Times investigation found, chose not to assign roughly 1,000 available firefighters for emergency deployment in advance of the Palisades fire, which ultimately killed 12 people and destroyed more than 6,000 homes, businesses and other structures. The Times has previously reported that the day before Bass left for Ghana, her aides received an email, on Jan. 3, from the city's emergency management department warning of "high confidence in damaging winds and elevated fire conditions occurring next week." A spokesperson for the mayor said the email did not suggest imminent catastrophe. Bass later fired Crowley as fire chief, and accused her of failing to provide adequate warning of the potential for a cataclysmic wind event. One simple lesson that could be learned from past disasters is that both officials and the public need to better respond to forecasters' warnings. Read more: Six months after the fire, has Mayor Karen Bass done enough for the Palisades? An after-action report by the weather service from the Joplin, Mo., tornado disaster in 2011 found that most residents didn't immediately head to shelter after hearing the first warning. Among the reasons: apathy, a bias toward optimism and a feeling that sirens were activated too often in Joplin. But the weather service at that time also said it could do a better job at supporting "effective decision-making," which would help empower people to quickly make appropriate decisions. The agency said it should ensure that tools are in place to easily conduct conference calls with key entities, such as sheriff's offices and other emergency officials. Suchan remembers listening to weather service meteorologists recall the Joplin tornado, which resulted in 158 deaths — the first single tornado in the U.S. to cause more than 100 deaths since 1953. "I listened to them describe feeling scarred by the disaster. They asked themselves if their warnings were early enough, strong enough," Suchan wrote in his Facebook post. "The room was very silent through that presentation. It left a mark on me but you can't fully understand that feeling until you experience it for yourself." In Texas, flooding alerts circulated in the hours and days before the Fourth of July disaster. On July 2, Texas state officials, citing the weather service, warned that "heavy rainfall with the potential to cause flash flooding" was anticipated over the following days. They said swift-water rescue boat squads would be available to assist with flood rescues. At 1:18 p.m. on July 3, the weather service issued a flood watch for Texas' Kerr County and other areas. On July 4 at 1:14 a.m., a flash-flood warning was issued, sounding the alarm for "life threatening flash flooding." At Camp Mystic, where at least 27 campers and counselors died, leadership was aware of the earlier flood watch, and also got a cellphone alert of the weather service's flash flood warning at 1:14 a.m. But they did not begin to evacuate campers in cabins near the Guadalupe River until more than an hour later, the Washington Post reported. The Post reported that waters began rising at the all-girls camp around 2 a.m., and breached at least one cabin around 3 a.m. Parts of Camp Mystic are considered at high risk of flooding, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency. At a different camp along the same river, Presbyterian Mo-Ranch Assembly, a facilities manager saw the river rising around 1 a.m., and told his boss, who had been monitoring reports of the storms approaching, the Associated Press reported. Camp officials there acted quickly to relocate 70 children and adults from a building near the river, and no one died. There was no warning from local authorities, the AP said. Read more: FEMA removed dozens of Camp Mystic buildings from 100-year flood map before expansion, records show In an interview, Suchan said he wonders "are there things that you could have done faster, stronger, or do things differently?" "We're looking at a massive casualty event and it weighs on my heart," he said. His counterpart at a local CBS affiliate offered a similar warning ahead of the flooding. Bill Taylor, weather chief at KENS-TV Channel 5 in San Antonio, showed a forecast weather model showing a severe storm "just sitting still" for hours in the area around Kerr County. "This would be a huge flood problem if this happens," Taylor told his viewers on July 3. In an interview, Taylor said he doesn't feel guilt about how he conveyed his forecast, saying he gave all the information he had about the flood risk. Still, "moving forward, in all honesty, I've even thought to myself recently how much of my verbiage will now change because of this disaster." He and other forecasters say they hope people take things like flood watches more seriously moving forward, especially if they live in or visit low-lying areas prone to flooding. Read more: Unusual summer storms in SoCal bring dry lightning, flooding concerns for weekend "When we say 'flood watch' in this region, I mean, you've really got to be paying attention," Taylor said. One lingering question is how closely officials in Kerr County — like the sheriff's office and emergency managers — were monitoring the storm. "If those emergency managers were sleeping that night, oh my gosh ... they won't have a job anymore," said Alex Tardy, a former weather service meteorologist who owns Weather Echo, a consulting company. Alerts about possible future floods should've triggered some kind of action well ahead of the storm — especially given the campgrounds located in the area, Tardy said. Suchan said a proper alerting system should be installed along the Guadalupe River. He noted that further downstream in neighboring Kendall County, the community of Comfort has sirens that were activated to warn of flooding on July 4, "and there were no casualties." "I don't want to ever see a nightmare like [this]," Suchan said. "It's 2025. We shouldn't be doing this." Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Solve the daily Crossword
Los Angeles Times
5 days ago
- Los Angeles Times
After L.A. firestorms and Texas floods, forecasters haunted by warnings not being heard
Meteorologists warned about the chance of flash floods days before Texas' Fourth of July disaster that killed at least 133. Yet, local officials in the hardest-hit areas say they were shocked by the scale of the devastation. 'I have cried on multiple occasions,' Chris Suchan, chief meteorologist with WOAI-TV Channel 4, the NBC affiliate in San Antonio, wrote in a recent Facebook post. 'At times, I've been overwhelmed with forecaster regret that I could have done more the night before in my weather report.' Forecasters often issue alerts for possible flooding, landslides and 'red flag' fire warnings multiple times a year. Sometimes, those warnings are followed by major catastrophes, but other times they are not. And that has led some to become complacent, rather than heeding the alerts. Two massive disasters this year — the Texas floods and Los Angeles firestorms — are leading some to grapple with the question of how to get officials and the public to care and take action. In the case of Texas, Suchan said he is experiencing what he calls 'forecaster regret.' That's despite having presented viewers a weather forecast showing 'a signal of localized flash flooding' on the afternoon of July 3 — hours before the disaster struck. During the 6 p.m. broadcast later that day, Suchan pointed to an area 'where we could see storms develop and then train over the same area. ... And that is a classic flash-flooding signal here in 'Flash Flood Alley.'' The disconnect between available warnings and the action officials and the public takes has been seen repeatedly over the years, from inadequate preparations in California ahead of fire weather or flood alerts, to the failure of some communities to evacuate ahead of the catastrophic tsunami that hit Japan in 2011. Of course, there are times when alerts are taken seriously, and forecasters and officials are in the same room. For instance, the publicity around Hurricane Hilary in 2023 reached a fever pitch as it headed toward Southern California. L.A. Mayor Karen Bass stood at press briefings along with then-Fire Chief Kristin Crowley and the National Weather Service. No deaths were reported in California, despite significant flooding and harrowing rescues in the Coachella Valley. There are other instances where preparation has helped Southern California emerge from periods of severe fire weather or landslide danger — such as through public safety power shutoffs, or crews emptying debris basins to catch mud pouring from landslides. The National Weather Service office in Oxnard, which issues forecasts for Los Angeles, has also made attempts to more clearly get its messages across. In 2019, the weather service issued an 'extreme red flag' fire weather warning that got plenty of attention. During last fire season, the agency issued an unprecedented five 'particularly dangerous situation' warnings ahead of forecast extreme fire weather conditions — including one on Jan. 6, a day before L.A. County's devastating wildfires began. Despite the weather service giving briefings as early as Dec. 30 about forecasted increasing fire weather danger, Bass was overseas in Ghana on Jan. 7, when the fire that destroyed much of Pacific Palisades began spreading rapidly. And the L.A. Fire Department, a Times investigation found, chose not to assign roughly 1,000 available firefighters for emergency deployment in advance of the Palisades fire, which ultimately killed 12 people and destroyed more than 6,000 homes, businesses and other structures. The Times has previously reported that the day before Bass left for Ghana, her aides received an email, on Jan. 3, from the city's emergency management department warning of 'high confidence in damaging winds and elevated fire conditions occurring next week.' A spokesperson for the mayor said the email did not suggest imminent catastrophe. Bass later fired Crowley as fire chief, and accused her of failing to provide adequate warning of the potential for a cataclysmic wind event. One simple lesson that could be learned from past disasters is that both officials and the public need to better respond to forecasters' warnings. An after-action report by the weather service from the Joplin, Mo., tornado disaster in 2011 found that most residents didn't immediately head to shelter after hearing the first warning. Among the reasons: apathy, a bias toward optimism and a feeling that sirens were activated too often in Joplin. But the weather service at that time also said it could do a better job at supporting 'effective decision-making,' which would help empower people to quickly make appropriate decisions. The agency said it should ensure that tools are in place to easily conduct conference calls with key entities, such as sheriff's offices and other emergency officials. Suchan remembers listening to weather service meteorologists recall the Joplin tornado, which resulted in 158 deaths — the first single tornado in the U.S. to cause more than 100 deaths since 1953. 'I listened to them describe feeling scarred by the disaster. They asked themselves if their warnings were early enough, strong enough,' Suchan wrote in his Facebook post. 'The room was very silent through that presentation. It left a mark on me but you can't fully understand that feeling until you experience it for yourself.' In Texas, flooding alerts circulated in the hours and days before the Fourth of July disaster. On July 2, Texas state officials, citing the weather service, warned that 'heavy rainfall with the potential to cause flash flooding' was anticipated over the following days. They said swift-water rescue boat squads would be available to assist with flood rescues. At 1:18 p.m. on July 3, the weather service issued a flood watch for Texas' Kerr County and other areas. On July 4 at 1:14 a.m., a flash-flood warning was issued, sounding the alarm for 'life threatening flash flooding.' At Camp Mystic, where at least 27 campers and counselors died, leadership was aware of the earlier flood watch, and also got a cellphone alert of the weather service's flash flood warning at 1:14 a.m. But they did not begin to evacuate campers in cabins near the Guadalupe River until more than an hour later, the Washington Post reported. The Post reported that waters began rising at the all-girls camp around 2 a.m., and breached at least one cabin around 3 a.m. Parts of Camp Mystic are considered at high risk of flooding, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency. At a different camp along the same river, Presbyterian Mo-Ranch Assembly, a facilities manager saw the river rising around 1 a.m., and told his boss, who had been monitoring reports of the storms approaching, the Associated Press reported. Camp officials there acted quickly to relocate 70 children and adults from a building near the river, and no one died. There was no warning from local authorities, the AP said. In an interview, Suchan said he wonders 'are there things that you could have done faster, stronger, or do things differently?' 'We're looking at a massive casualty event and it weighs on my heart,' he said. His counterpart at a local CBS affiliate offered a similar warning ahead of the flooding. Bill Taylor, weather chief at KENS-TV Channel 5 in San Antonio, showed a forecast weather model showing a severe storm 'just sitting still' for hours in the area around Kerr County. 'This would be a huge flood problem if this happens,' Taylor told his viewers on July 3. In an interview, Taylor said he doesn't feel guilt about how he conveyed his forecast, saying he gave all the information he had about the flood risk. Still, 'moving forward, in all honesty, I've even thought to myself recently how much of my verbiage will now change because of this disaster.' He and other forecasters say they hope people take things like flood watches more seriously moving forward, especially if they live in or visit low-lying areas prone to flooding. 'When we say 'flood watch' in this region, I mean, you've really got to be paying attention,' Taylor said. One lingering question is how closely officials in Kerr County — like the sheriff's office and emergency managers — were monitoring the storm. 'If those emergency managers were sleeping that night, oh my gosh ... they won't have a job anymore,' said Alex Tardy, a former weather service meteorologist who owns Weather Echo, a consulting company. Alerts about possible future floods should've triggered some kind of action well ahead of the storm — especially given the campgrounds located in the area, Tardy said. Suchan said a proper alerting system should be installed along the Guadalupe River. He noted that further downstream in neighboring Kendall County, the community of Comfort has sirens that were activated to warn of flooding on July 4, 'and there were no casualties.' 'I don't want to ever see a nightmare like [this],' Suchan said. 'It's 2025. We shouldn't be doing this.'
