Thousands Flee as Arizona Wildfire Almost Triples in Size

On Wednesday, a wind-driven Arizona wildfire nearly tripled in size after destroying scores of properties and forcing others to abandon their homes in a drought-stricken rural area.

According to a US Forest Service statement, the Tunnel Fire spread northeast over largely unpopulated hills and valleys 14 miles (23 kilometres) north of Flagstaff, Arizona.

According to the announcement, flames destroyed 16,625 acres, an area greater than Manhattan, as they moved through the Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument, which features a visitor centre and hiking trails.

The conflagration, which was fueled by typical spring winds, prompted more than 2,000 inpiduals to flee their homes, according to the Coconino County Board of Supervisors.

According to the county sheriff's office, at least 25 structures were destroyed as the fire spread across parts of the Wupatki Trails and Timberline Estates subpisions, which are constructed in pine forest.

According to data from the Desert Research Institute and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the area is part of a swath of Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, and Colorado that has been subjected to more than two decades of largely unrelenting drought.

An elderly couple died in their Ruidoso, New Mexico, home last week after a wildfire destroyed hundreds of homes and caused many to leave the mountain hamlet 360 miles to the east.