Blaze near Sierra Vista is 17 percent contained

9:15 p.m.

DIFFICULT DAYS AHEAD, RESIDENTS TOLD

The Monument Fire is 17 percent contained, said Greg Poncin, incident commander with the Northern Rockies Incident Management Team.

Fire officials called Wednesday a good day but warned that high winds in the forecast for Thursday and Friday could mean challenges ahead.

And officials emphasized that the blaze won't be put out anytime soon.

"We hope for more days like today, but the bad news is that we are going to have a lot more days," said Poncin at a community meeting Wednesday night in Sierra Vista. "I'm telling you this because I want to be forthright and honest so you can start to prepare and think about what you need to do in advance of this fire."

The fire currently stretches from the U.S.-Mexico border north to Miller Peak, which is 10 miles south of Sierra Vista. It is moving north.

Officials have set Ramsey Road as the northern containment point for the fire. The road is about five miles south of the heart of Sierra Vista and three miles south of Buffalo Soldier Trail.

"We are looking at how we can get ahead of this thing and finally stop it," said Poncin, "It's going to burn considerably further north before we have a place where we can successfully build a line and stop this thing."

No injuries have been reported, officials said.

6:30 p.m.

COMMUNITY MEETING HAPPENING NOW

The Monument Fire has burned through 9,300 acres, according to officials who are now talking to residents of the Sierra Vista area gathered at a community meeting.

Officials say the fire is going to keep moving north. They expect a bad day Thursday because of high winds.

Residents are told to expect a "long, drawn-out affair."

About 400 people are listening intently. The mood is calm, but residents are keenly aware of the seriousness of the situation.

6:15 p.m.

WIDESPREAD DAMAGE TO POWER LINES

The electric cooperative that serves the Sierra Vista area is working feverishly to restore power to areas south of the city after the Monument Fire caused “widespread and significant damage” to power lines.

Sulphur Springs Valley Electric Cooperative is continuing to assess damage to its system in the area, including Hereford and Palominas, but that effort has been delayed due to the ongoing fire and safety concerns, said Jack Blair, the co-op’s chief member-services officer.

Utility officials are unsure of how many customers lost power, but several thousand customers are in the affected area, Blair said. As of 7 p.m., about 200 customers were still without electricity.

The co-op serves about 52,000 members in Southern Arizona.

“We do know that there has been widespread and significant damage to our system,” Blair said.

Today, Sulphur Springs focused on repairing the area’s main power line, which runs roughly along Arizona 92.

The power poles from Ash Canyon to Coronado Memorial Road were replaced and will be energized Thursday morning, Blair said.

On Thursday, the co-op’s tentative plan is to begin work on the lateral lines in the Stone Ridge and Kinjockity Ranch areas. But that  plan is subject to change depending on the status and path of the fire, Blair said, adding that the utility will continue to assess the damage as its linemen are allowed to return to the fire areas.

The co-op is working as quickly as possible to restore power to the area, “but due to the terrain, the fire and the size, this will not be an easy or quick process,” Blair said.

In a related development, Sulphur Springs said its Internet service partner, TransWorld Network Corp., has restored Internet service to co-op members in Hereford and Palominas by replacing damaged equipment and installing a generator.

5 p.m.

MORE EVACUATIONS ORDERED

Mandatory evacuation orders have been issued for residents of Hereford who live west of Arizona 92 in the area between Hereford Road to the north and Ash Canyon to the south. 

People are encouraged to leave immediately.

3:45 p.m.

EVACUATIONS NEAR SIERRA VISTA

Evacuations have been ordered for the Circle S neighborhood and areas near Miller Canyon Road, authorities said.

The U.S. Border Patrol and Cochise County Sheriff's Department are assisting with evacuations,

Dozens of residents are hurriedly throwing possessions into vehicles and leaving the area as fast as possible.

3:45 p.m.

WINDS NOT STOPPING AIR ATTACK

On Facebook, several residents of the Sierra Vista area wrote that they watched the fire crest Miller Peak this afternoon and begin heading down into the canyons on its north face.

Hunter Canyon and Miller Canyon feed off Miller Peak.

The high winds have not grounded the air attack, according to residents, who are seeing helicopters and planes at work.

3:15 p.m.

WINDS KICKING UP

The Monument Fire continues to grow Wednesday afternoon as firefighters focus on saving lives and property.

Troubling winds kicked up this afternoon, with gusts of up to 25 miles per hour. Large flames are now visible from Palominas, a community near Sierra Vista, and the cloud of smoke is huge.

The air in areas around the fire is thick, the sky brown.

The National Weather Service has issued a Red Flag warning for the area.

Dixie Dies, a fire spokeswoman, said there are 398 firefighters assigned to the blaze, including 24 engines and 8 helicopters.

2:30 p.m.

CONCERN GROWS ON FORT HUACHUCA

With the Monument Fire expected to move north toward Sierra Vista, the home of Southern Arizona's largest military installation, concern is mounting over the safety of soldiers and civilian staffers and the protection of Army facilities.

Many connected to the military live in the vicinity of the fire, said Tanja Linton, a spokeswoman for Fort Huachuca, the Army post that's a major center for intelligence training.

"It is a time of great anxiety for the entire post," Linton said.

Last week, in recognition of high fire risk, the Army closed all canyons on the post's 73,000-plus acres. And on Tuesday night, top brass set up a crisis team in the operations center to coordinate with firefighting agencies and other authorities.

"We are in a ready posture should the fire move across the canyons to the fort," Linton said.

Fort Huachuca has provided a vehicle and some firefighters to help battle the blaze, she said.

2:15 p.m.

EMOTIONAL RESPONSE FROM RESIDENTS

Hereford resident Paula Kamrowski and her husband, David, both age 44, are working with Thunder Mountain Community Church in Sierra Vista to help families displaced by the growing Monument Fire.

"My husband is a builder and we have put up two families in two vacant homes that we have," said Kamrowski. "We feel anxious . . . It is scary. We live on four acres and there is 4-feet-tall grasses between us and the fire.

"Our place is mowed and we have wet grass and vines around our home. We have kept the sprinklers going around the house. Our cars were covered with ash," she added, explaining that smoke is billowing over their property.

The Kamrowski couple are on standby evacuation, but Paula feels they live far enough northeast that they may escape the blaze.

They have goats, two Great Danes and six Shih-Tzus. "Our animals are OK, and we packed anything that we feel can not be replaced. We are ready to go if we are evacuated," she said.

Sierra Vista resident Robin Parker expressed her feelings on Facebook today.

"I feel very saddened for our beautiful mountains," she wrote. "There are members of our community who have lost their homes, and I am praying very hard for the people out there fighting this fire."

Parker, 28, said smoke keeps billowing over the mountains nearby. "This fire is way too close to home, and it breaks my heart. Our community is strong and pulling together wonderfully, as we should," she said.

Sierra Vista residents are far away enough that they are not presently on evacuation standby, she added.

2 p.m.

HOW THE RED CROSS IS HELPING

From the Red Cross website: "We've set up a Receiving Center to serve the community affected by this fire. Anyone is welcome to drop in to get out of the heat. for information, company, and a snack.

* Palominas Elementary School

10385 E. Hwy 92

Hereford, AZ

Today's hours: 11:00 am - 7:00 pm

We'll continue to assess the community's needs daily as the situation develops.

The City of Sierra Vista is operating a shelter at:

Apache Middle School

3305 E. Fry Blvd.

1:45 p.m.

AT LEAST 40 HOMES LOST

The Monument Fire has now burned at least 40 homes and 10 other structures, the Cochise County Sheriff’s Department said this afternoon.

All were in the Ash Canyon area southeast of Sierra Vista in the Huachuca Mountains, and officials were continuing to assess Tuesday’s damage even as the fire began to accelerate this afternoon.

Meanwhile, the Sulphur Springs Valley Electric Cooperative is working to restore power to an unknown number of residents in Hereford, a few miles south of Sierra Vista. Crews are on the scene and working with local authorities to determine the best way to restore power to the area, a message on Sulphur Springs' customer-service line said.

Officials of the cooperative could not immediately reached for comment.

Residents of Sierra Vista and surrounding areas are volunteering to help evacuees move belongings and animals.

One group of about a dozen Fort Huachuca workers was volunteering to clear dry grass and other flammables from around homes that were not yet evacuated.

Josh Vander Veen, a civilian contractor, said he and the others had cleared out flammables from around three homes, and they also helped move cars, furniture and livestock.

Momentarily at his office on post, where he was "trying to get work done," Vander Veen said the fire “keeps looking like it’s creeping closer to the north along the peaks of the Huachucas.”

1 p.m.

PLAN TO FIGHT BLAZE RELEASED

While crews mop up hot spots around structures within Coronado National Memorial and look for places to build fire lines that tie into Forest Road 61, firefighters have repositioned their resources to battle the Monument Fire as it blazes through Stump Canyon. Winds are expected to gust up to 25 miles per hour.

The Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, Cochise County, Border Patrol and state and local fire departments have banded together to combat the fire that was reported Sunday afternoon. Nearly 400 people are fighting the 5,200-acre blaze, including 12 crews, 24 engines and eight helicopters.

12:30 p.m.

STRUCTURES LOST

The Cochise County Sheriff's Department reports at least 24 homes have burned in the rapidly growing Monument fire in Southern Arizona. Our Lady of the Sierras shrine also burned.

Lost property was on the following roads: Ash Canyon Road, Muffin Lane, Deer Trail, Prince Placer, Acorn, Pickett Lane, Twin Oaks, Mountainview, Stoneridge, Turkey Track, East Spring Road, and Brushy Oak.  Additional assessments will be completed throughout the day.

11:30 a.m.

NEW EVACUATIONS

Pre-evacuation orders were issued this morning for two more areas near the Coronado National Forest, but authorities are strongly urging residents to leave as soon as possible.

Officials say the blaze is moving north toward Sierra Vista.

The Cochise County Sheriff, this morning, issued pre-evacuation orders for Stump Canyon north through Miller Canyon and the Three Canyons area east to Palominas Road.

On Tuesday, residents of Ash Canyon — who did not heed the pre-evacuation order — had just minutes to flee once they were told to evacuate, said Carol Capas, spokeswoman for the Sheriff's Department.

“It’s really important people pay attention to this. Yesterday it was fast and furious. I don’t know that any of the residents anticipated that,” said Capas.

RESIDENTS URGED TO BE PREPARED

She suggests residents, especially those with medical conditions or physical impairments, evacuate now. Residents who own animals should be prepared to take them with or relocate them now, in advance of an evacuation.

DIFFICULT FIRE

Currently the Monument Fire has consumed 5,200 acres. It is 10 percent contained.

A combination of factors are making the fire especially volatile, said Dixie Dies, spokeswoman for the Monument Fire incident management team. Dried vegetation that died during the record freeze earlier this year combined with extremely low humidity and wind gusts up to 20 miles per hour are creating “extreme fire behavior” — fast burning and explosive.

Dies estimated 1,000 people were evacuated from Ash Canyon yesterday, but neither she nor Capas could say how many people live in the areas currently under the pre-evacuation order.

Cochise County Supervisor Pat Call said the Monument Fire devastated Ash Canyon yesterday and is expected to burn north.

“It’s getting closer and closer to more and more population,” he said.

Call said he didn’t know how many homes were burned in Ash Canyon but from the highway today, he saw some surviving but many “melted away.”

The chapel at Our Lady of the Sierras and the home of its owners, Pat and Gerald Chouinard, were gone but the giant cross still stood, he said.

Yesterday’s firestorm in Ash Canyon was “a swirling tornado that moved through terribly fast,” Call said.

When winds pick up this afternoon, firefighters expect the same in Stump Canyon to the north, where there are about 20 homes, he said.

The Cochise County Sheriff’s Office will try to assess the number of homes burned and tell people this afternoon or this evening, Call said, but he couldn’t guarantee they will complete that assessment because the fire remains unchecked.

He said officials are making plans, especially with predictions of higher winds, to defend the canyons to the north, Bear Draw, Miller Canyon and Carr Canyon. Those places are not threatened right now, Call said, and fire crews will be better prepared to defend them then they were yesterday.

Arizona 92 at Hereford was re-opened, however, Arizona 92 at Three Canyons and up to Coronado has been closed and will remain so until further notice.

LIVESTOCK BOARDING

Sheriff’s officials suggest residents move livestock to a safe location and be prepared to take animals with them in the event of an evacuation. The sheriff’s office can provide contact information for volunteers available to help move large animals. Anyone in need of assistance should call the sheriff’s office at 1-520-432-9500.

All residents, especially those with special needs, such as mobility issues or medical problems, should have a plan in place so they can evacuate at a moment’s notice. When preparing to evacuate, residents should pack a “Go-Bag” that includes medications, important papers, money and enough personal items to sustain them for at least several days, the sheriff’s office recommends.

Additional updates will be issued by the forest service at 4 p.m. today.

A fire information meeting will be held at 6 tonight at the Windemere Hotel & Conference Center, 2047 S. Arizona 92.