Greer Fire is 100% contained after burning 20K+ acres
GREER, Ariz. - A week after hundreds of residents were allowed back into their homes in Apache County, fire officials announced on May 26 that the Greer Fire was 100% contained.
Acreage & Containment:
The fire sparked on May 13. The wildfire burned 20,308 acres, and on May 26, it was officially 100% contained.
Evacuations Lifted:
All evacuated residents can go back to their homes as of May 19 at 6 p.m. as road closures have been lifted.
Gov. Hobbs visit:
Hobbs visited the fire command center on May 17, declaring a state of emergency due to the fire.
She directed $200,000 in emergency funding to the Arizona Division of Emergency Management to help support the costs of the firefight.
"I could actually start smelling it while we were on the plane," she said.
Hobbs says lessons learned from past fires have helped crews better prepare.
"Incidents like the Wallow fire, like Rodeo-Chediski, have led to us being really aggressive in our mitigation efforts so that the impact of this fire will hopefully be not as devastating," said Hobbs.
Governor Hobbs is also taking the time to address wildland firefighter pay, pushing for a 15% increase.
"These folks out there fighting the fires, they are not well paid and they deserve the raise. They are out there protecting life, they are protecting property and so it's in our budget request, and we're still waiting to hear from the Republicans in the legislature what their budget priorities are as well," she said.
In addition to the emergency funding from the state, a FEMA grant was approved, which provides federal funding for up to 75% of eligible firefighting costs.
Structures destroyed
Multiple structures have reportedly been destroyed and power was temporarily shut off in the Greer area, Navopache Electric Cooperative said.
Disaster declaration
The towns of Eagar and Springerville released a joint Declaration of Emergency in the area. Meanwhile, Navajo and Apache Counties have been placed under Stage 2 fire restrictions.
Emergency funds to be released
"The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Region 9 Administrator authorized the use of federal funds to assist the state of Arizona in combating the Greer Fire burning in Apache County," FEMA said in a news release.
What we don't know:
The fire started on private property, but its cause is unknown.
The backstory:
The Wallow Fire in 2011 is widely recognized as the largest wildfire in the history of Arizona. It burned in roughly the same area where the Greer Fire is burning.
In one week, from May 29, 2011, to June 6, the Wallow Fire became the third largest in the history of the state. It wasn't completely contained until July 8, 2011.
More than 500,000 acres of forest were burned in the area.