Category Archives: Sedona

Slide Fire Community Meeting Planned planned for tomorrow

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Slide Fire Information Facebook photo

Slide Fire Information Facebook photo

SEDONA – A community meeting is scheduled in Sedona to discuss the possibility of flooding from the Slide Fire during the monsoon season. The meeting will be held tomorrow—Thursday, June 19 from 4 to 6 pm—at the Sedona Red Rock High School Performing Arts Center; 995 Upper Red Rock Loop Road.

The meeting will be conducted by the City of Sedona, Coconino and Yavapai counties, and the cooperative agencies which assisted in fighting the human-caused blaze. Residents will receive an update on the U.S. Forest Service’s Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) assessment of the Slide Fire. Attendees will also learn how multiple agencies have spent the past several weeks assessing Oak Creek Canyon properties in anticipation of possible monsoonal flooding this summer.

A video recording of the meeting will be posted June 20 at the Coconino County YouTube Channel for those unable to attend the meeting. A link to the video will be posted at the Coconino County Post-Slide Fire Information web page.

The Slide Fire began May 20 just north of Slide Rock State Park and charred more than 21,000 acres north of Sedona and Oak Creek Canyon. The fire was fully contained on June 6. Investigation into the start of the fire is still on-going.

Slide Rock Fire grows to 7,500 acres

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slide-rock-helicopter-01OAK CREEK – The Slide Rock Fire has grown to 7,500 acres according to an 8 p.m. update. The fire is reported to be 5% contained.

Coconino National Forest photo

Coconino National Forest photo

Crews continued to hold the fire west of Highway 89A and south of Fry Canyon. A small spot fire occurred across the northern line into an area that was previously thinned in 2006. Because this area was previously treated, the spot fire was unable to grow and crews quickly extinguished it. Hotshot crews also worked to create fire line across the Pumphouse Wash near the Hwy 89A ‘switchbacks’ to control the east flank and prevent further spread east.

Winds increased to 18-22mph with gusts of 32, temperatures were in the 70s. As the day continued to warm, firefighters saw an increase in fire behavior, with the most active portion of the fire toward the northwest to Harding Point. Firefighters observed active fire in the East Pocket area, but previously dropped retardant helped firefighters minimize growth.

Tonight firefighters will be working throughout the lower canyon to monitor fire activity and conduct burnout operations as necessary. Overnight downslope winds will likely continue to drive the fire down canyon. Erratic winds may also be present producing moderate fire behavior. Crews will conduct burnout operations along forest service road 535 and prepare FSR 231 for continued burnout operations tomorrow.

Earlier we reported that highway 89A from Sedona to Fort Tuthill in Flagstaff was open, but that is incorrect. It remains closed. Other routes closed are Forest Road (FR) 535 at Highway 89A, FR 533 at Highway 89A, FR 231 at Rogers Lake, FR 527 and 530 (west side; Volunteer Canyon area), and Casner Mountain is closed to all vehicles.

Evacuations remain in place in Oak Creek Canyon from Slide Rock State Park to Sterling Springs Hatchery. Coconino County issued a pre-evacuation notice to residents of Kachina Village and Forest Highlands subdivisions. Residents are advised to be prepared to evacuate. County Emergency Management encourages those in the affected neighborhoods to begin packing important items they may need for several days. These items include prescriptions, important papers, any special dietary needs and pets. No new evacuations are in place at this time.

Coconino County is reminding people to register their cellphone number with the County’s CodeRED emergency notification system. Only those residents whose numbers are registered will receive a direct phone call about any type of pre- or mandatory evacuation order.

Slide Rock and Sunset fires first major fires of the season

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Near Slide Rock State Park in Sedona, the Brins Fire burnt 4,300 acres during the summer of 2006. This photo is of the cliffs above the Slide Rock parking lot. (Arizona State Parks web site)

Near Slide Rock State Park in Sedona, the Brins Fire burnt 4,300 acres during the summer of 2006. This photo is of the cliffs above the Slide Rock parking lot. (Arizona State Parks web site)

OAK CREEK – High winds and restricted area are making difficult the fighting of a fire in Oak Creek Canyon about a mile north of Slide Rock State park reported just before 4 pm today. It is being fought largely with aircraft. Witnesses reported to KTVK in Phoenix that fire fighting crews responded with amazing swiftness after the fire was reported.

A separate fire near Cordes Junction closed portions of Interstate 17 for about four hours.

The Slide Fire, reported just before 4 p.m. today, is currently estimated to be 20 acres, burning on the north side of Highway 89 in Oak Creek Canyon near Slide Rock State Park.

Multiple firefighting units are responding, including two Hotshot crews, four engines, two helicopters, an air attack unit and Sedona Fire.

Gerry Blair of the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office told KTVK in Phoenix that they are requesting some evacuations and that he had heard of no fire-related injuries.

Highway 89 may close to traffic near the Slide Rock area, and evacuations are being ordered for areas just north of Slide Rock State Park. It is unknown whether there are any structures threatened at this time.

The fire is currently moving to the north and fuel treatments in the area have kept the fire from aggressive activity.

Cause is unknown at this time.

The American Red Cross Grand Canyon Chapter has opened a shelter at Sinagua Middle School, 3950 E. Butler Avenue, in Flagstaff for those displaced by the fire in Oak Creek Canyon.

The Sunset brush fire near Sunset Point north of Phoenix caused Interstate 17 to be closed for a time. After more than four-hours, Interstate 17 was reopened. according to the Arizona Department of Transportation.

At 6:30 p.m., both directions of the freeway were reopened. The left lane was closed in each direction for two miles, from milepost 254-256. There is no indication when those lanes would reopen.

The freeway had been closed from near the Sunset Point Rest Area 35 miles north of Phoenix to just south of the Cordes Junction exit at SR 69 beginning about 2 p.m.

Sedona TEA Party offers seminar on the Constitution

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“[T]he present Constitution is the standard to which we are to cling. Under its banners, bona fide must we combat our political foes — rejecting all changes but through the channel itself provides for amendments.” —Alexander Hamilton, letter to James Bayard, April, 1802

SEDONA—The Sedona TEA Party will be holding two lectures in December entitled “The Peoples Convention.” The seminars are $10 each and features attorney Blair Henry on Article 5 of the Constitution of the United States.

Article 5 of our Constitution sets down instructions on how the States can hold a convention and make amendments to the Constitution. Blair will cover conception, history, and application of Article 5. He will explain how we can make it work for We the People?

“The People’s Convention” seminar dates, times and locations are as follows:

WEDNESDAY, 12/4, 5:45 to 8:00 PM,
SEDONA PUBLIC LIBRARY
3250 White Bear Road, Sedona, 86336
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THURSDAY, 12/5, 6:15 to 8:30 PM,
CANYON TRAILS COWBOY CHURCH
3132 White Bear Road, Sedona, 86336

Source: Sedona TEA Party

Election Results 2013

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WILLIAMS—As of 10:30 pm a little over 25.5% of the voters voted in the elections held in Coconino County.

With only one precinct left to report, the Coconino Community College Question appears to have failed. As of this writing 54.76% voted no on assessing a secondary property tax to raise $4.5 million for the college. 45.24% voted yes.

Williams voted to continue the tax for the Williams Health Clinic. The vote is 56.08% for with 43.92% voting against.

Both the Grand Canyon Unified and Sedona-Oak Creek Joint Unified school districts voted to approve additional property taxes for the schools. The vote on the Grand Canyon Question was approved by a vote of 75%. The vote for the Sedona-Oak Creek Joint Unified school district was 52.10% for and 47.9% against, but not all of the votes have been counted at this point.

These are unofficial results until after the canvas process is complete.

In the closely watched and hotly contested race in Virginia, Democrat Terry McAuliffe appears to have won the race for governor with 47.39% of the vote with 99.5% of the precincts reporting. Republican Ken Cuccinelli received 45.8% of the vote with the Libertarian challenger Robert Sarvis receiving 6.66%. Democrat Ralph Northam won the race for Lieutenant Governor.

Republican Mark Obenshain is barely winning the race for Attorney General against Democrat challenger Mark Herring. The vote is currently 50.27% to 49.52%.

Sedona International Film Festival and Sedona Smart Meter Awareness offer free smart meter documentary viewing

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Sedona International Film Festival and Sedona Smart Meter Awareness groups have teamed up to present a documentary on so-called smart meters.

The documentary, Take Back Your Power, written by Josh del Sol and Daryl Bennett and directed by Josh explores the spying capability built in to the smart meters. The film was released on September 5th.

Smart meters are already in place in Flagstaff, Williams and other northern Arizona cities. Most city and town councils vote to approve them without any idea of the Fourth Amendment violation these meters represent.

The viewing of the film is scheduled for this Monday, September 9th at the Mary D. Fisher Theatre in Sedona. The theater is located at 2030 W. Highway 89A in West Sedona.

The 4 pm and 7 pm showings are booked, so the groups added a special 1 pm showing. To reserve free tickets, you can call 928-282-1177

Two Stranded Hikers Rescued from West Fork in Oak Creek Canyon

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SEDONA—Two male hikers, one seventeen and one twenty years of age both of Scottsdale, Arizona, were rescued by Coconino County Sheriff’s Office personnel late Saturday evening after they found themselves in darkness with no flashlights or other light sources.

On Saturday, June 1, 2013 at about 8:43 pm the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office received a call from the Sedona Fire Department (SFD). According to a SFD dispatcher, she received a 911 emergency call from one of two hikers who were stranded in West Fork Canyon in extremely dark conditions in the absence of a visible moon. The Sedona Fire Emergency Dispatch was able to determine latitude and longitude for the cell phone call, within approximately 100 feet, because they are equipped with a 911 Enhanced emergency call system that provides cell phone location information.

Furnished with a precise location of the stranded youth, a team comprised of a Coconino County Sheriff’s Deputy, a Search and Rescue Coordinator and a Search and Rescue Volunteer responded to the West Fork Trailhead and hiked approximately two miles to the victims’ location. Rescuers reached the victims at about 11:10 pm and provided each with a flashlight. The rescuers then accompanied the two hikers back to the trailhead.

The men and women of the Coconino County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue Unit would like to remind hikers and hunters to leave a detailed trip plan with a trusted person and be prepared for the unexpected night out in the event of an accident or other emergency. Carry the 10 Essentials: extra water, food, warm clothing, navigation equipment, a headlamp or flashlight, a first aid kit, shelter material, a fire starting kit, a pocket knife, and signaling equipment like a signal mirror and whistle. These can be important tools to help you stay safe in the outdoors and to aid searchers in locating you. During the summer months extreme caution with fire is urged in order to prevent a wildfire.