Wallow Fire
| Wallow Fire | |
|---|---|
NASA satellite image, June 8, 2011, at 1:25 PM MDT
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| Location | Alpine, Arizona |
| Coordinates | 33°36′07″N 109°26′56″W / 33.602°N 109.449°WCoordinates: 33°36′07″N 109°26′56″W / 33.602°N 109.449°W |
| Statistics | |
| Date(s) | May 29, 2011 – July 8, 2011 |
| Burned area | 538,049 acres (2,177 km2)
|
| Cause | Campfire |
| Buildings destroyed |
72 |
| Injuries | 16 |
| Map | |
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The Wallow Fire, named for the Bear Wallow Wilderness area where the fire originated, was a wildfire that started in the White Mountains near Alpine, Arizona on May 11, 2011. The fire eventually spread across the stateline into western New Mexico, United States. By the time the fire was contained on July 8, it had consumed 538,049 acres (2,177 km2) of land, 522,642 acres (2,115 km2) in Arizona and 15,407 acres (62 km2) in New Mexico.
The fire was started accidentally by two men who were camping. They cooperated with prosecutors and plead guilty to misdemeanor charges relating to mismanagement of their campfire. In November, 2012 they were ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $3.7 million.
The communities of Alpine,Blue River, Greer, Nutrioso, Sunrise, Springerville, Eagar in Arizona, and Luna in New Mexico were evacuated. In addition to other aircraft, a converted DC-10 Very Large Air Tanker ("VLAT"), capable of dropping up to 12,000 gallons of fire retardant in seconds, was deployed to help fight the fire. On June 11, 2011, the leading edge of the fire advanced into Catron County, New Mexico.
On June 12, evacuations were lifted for Eagar, Springerville and South Fork. On June 14, the Wallow Fire became the largest fire in Arizona history, passing the Rodeo-Chediski Fire, which burned 732 square miles (1,900 km2) in 2002. On June 18 and 20, evacuations were lifted for Alpine and Greer and on June 21, the evacuation for Luna, NM was lifted. Additionally, the Apache National Forest was closed to the public.
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