A first look at Sunset Crater Volcano in northern Arizona after it burns in the Tunnel Fire
Sunset Crater Volcano in northern Arizona burns in Tunnel Fire
Powerful videos and interviews with homeowners who've lost everything to the Tunnel Fire burning north of Flagstaff have been seen by many, and now, there's an update on a national monument that burned in the fire as well, Sunset Crater Volcano.
COCONINO COUNTY, Ariz. - Powerful videos and interviews with homeowners who've lost everything to the Tunnel Fire that burned north of Flagstaff have been seen by many, and now, there's an update on the Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument that burned in the fire as well.
We also got a first look at the damage over a month after the wildfire.
A hiker said the landscape may not actually be that different since it was mostly volcanic rocks at Sunset Crater, but the bigger concern wasn’t the scenery. It’s the infrastructure.
While dozens of homeowners arrived at the devastated remains from the Tunnel Fire a week after it began, the National Park Service (NPS) was able to return to the Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument.
"Going through and determine what was damaged, the extent of that damage and essentially what our pathway is to restoring everything," Lucas Minton with NPS said, explaining what the next steps are.
When the fire spread rapidly by 70 mph gusts, Minton said they didn’t know what to expect.
"We didn’t know right away what the status was," he said. Ultimately, the visitor center survived, but he says roads, guardrails and signs are damaged.
"We’re always sad when we have another forest fire, especially at a national monument that’s so unique like this," said Wendy Rennert with the AZ Trailblazers, an avid hikers group.
She says Sunset Crater is unique for its volcanic rock and stunning views. It erupted a thousand years ago and formed an unexpected landscape.
"I find it a place you usually want to take family and friends out of town there because it’s so different than anything they’ve ever seen before," Rennert said.
Rennert said last summer, Picket Post Mountain burned in another wildfire and that these scenarios are becoming all too common.
"In a way, mother nature does what she does but on the other hand, a wildfire season scenario like this that threatens infrastructure … it’s never a good situation," Minton said.
‘The fire was everywhere. Super dynamic’
When the tunnel fire first started burning through Sunset Crater the winds were blowing 50 mph. Then rangers learned there were people out on the trails. So that’s when they jumped into action to save them.
Chief Ranger at Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument, Craig Janicki, was rushing to evacuate everyone.
"All we knew is we had somebody in the park on foot somewhere, luckily just one vehicle. So we knew we had a family at least, but we had no idea how many people," Janicki said.
With no cell service, Janicki ran the length of two trails with no luck while the Tunnel Fire only grew.
Finally, he spotted the family of four on the Lennox Hill Trail and got them to safety.
"That’s a good couple miles in gear with the fire coming, and you don’t know how quickly it’s going to get here," Janicki said.
While the monument is still closed to the public, Janicki gave FOX 10 an exclusive tour of the widespread damage on June 6. The price tag for repairs will be around a million dollars.
Storage containers were charred, glass windows were melted to the ground, and everything in the maintenance area was in the fire's path.
"Everything needs to be replaced, completely destroyed. All of it's gone. Starting from scratch," Janicki said.
Other areas were luckily spared.
"The fire didn’t really touch these or these trees but, right across the road, it did," Janicki said.
He assumed the visitor center was a total loss, but as the flames passed, he was blown away.
"You never know what fire is going to do. Look at this structure's cedar shingles. How did that not catch on fire? Pretty amazing," he said.
At the footstep of the crater, wood guardrail posts were burned to nothing. That too will need to be replaced.
Despite the ravages of a fire that burned many homes and 19,000 acres, no one was injured at the site.
"The fire was everywhere. Super dynamic. Winds were 40-50 miles per hour. So it took all hands on deck to make sure everybody got out," Janicki said.
When will the national monument reopen? They hope to reopen a portion of the monument in a couple of months. Unfortunately, some trails here won’t be reopened for years.
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