Officials: Man arrested in Copley Fire

Officials on Sunday evening arrested a man in connection with a fire that swallowed more than 50 acres east of Flagstaff, forcing the evacuation of at least 75 homes in the small forest community of Winona.

The unidentified man was arrested on suspicion of reckless burning, a misdemeanor, according to Jon Paxton, a Coconino County Sheriff’s Office spokesman.

Paxton said the man was burning trash in a yard and had a burn permit, but he wasn’t prepared for Sunday’s windy conditions. The National Weather Service in Flagstaff said winds reached 28 miles per hours Sunday afternoon.

“If you let (the fire) get too big and you’re not watching it, and the wind picks up and it kicks it out and it gets away from you — that’s on you,” Paxton said. “We consider that reckless burning.” Area susceptible to strong winds Tiffany Davila, an Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management spokeswoman, said the fire started in the area of Copley Road, east of Leupp Road.

That area is especially prone to strong winds because of a lack of tree cover found in other parts of Flagstaff, meteorologist Jonathan Suk said. The pinon pines that dot the dry landscape offer little cover from wind gusts, which help the fire spread quickly.

Winona was evacuated about 3 p.m., with officials directing evacuees to

Peaks View County Park. Residents were allowed to return home about 8:30 p.m.

Hundreds of homes in Doney Park and the surrounding neighborhoods remained on pre-evacuation notice, and Townsend Winona Road was closed from Leupp Road to Interstate 40 as crews worked to contain the fire.

The flames destroyed at least one home and burned multiple smaller structures, Davila said. No injuries were reported.

‘I think we’re OK’

Officials said fire crews had pushed the growing blaze back against the cinder mines in the area. The cinder mines create a natural barrier, because there aren’t any more trees or grass to burn through.

Ideally, the fire will burn itself out as the winds continue to push it toward the mines, officials said. Paxton said the chance for containment was “looking good” as previously strong winds in the area began to slow.

“There’s always the worry that the winds will pick up and start another burn, but I think we’re OK at this point,” he said.

The fire’s swift spread validated predictions that Arizona’s wildfire season would start early this year, following an unusually dry winter across the state.