On the morning of June 20th, I was walking to the office when something felt wrong. It was as if I had entered a world of shadows. A thick haze was all around me, obscuring the rising sun and painting the sky a fiery orange.
Smoke from wildfires covers the mountains
If you were in Southern Arizona that day you know what I'm talking about, what was the cause?
New Mexico Fire
A wildfire broke out in southern New Mexico early on the morning of the 18th. Almost instantly, the fire spread with great force, quickly burning thousands of acres, resulting in over 16,000 acres burned and nearly 1,400 structures destroyed across the state.
Forest fire
It is already considered one of the deadliest fires in New Mexico's history. The president issued a disaster declaration for the state.The biggest issue is the threat of flooding. New Mexico doesn't get as much rain as states like Florida, but burn scars are blocking runoff and bridges and other structures are starting to flood.
How will this impact Arizona?
If it wasn't already obvious, the haze that blanketed much of southern Arizona was ash and smog from the fires in New Mexico. The thick smoke that covered the Arizona skies may remind some of the devastating Monument Fire of 2011, one of the worst tragedies to hit Cochise County.
Burning Mountains
This fire is no different, displacing families, destroying homes and shaking communities to their core. 51 members of Arizona Task Force 1 Firefighter.
[CBS]
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