Evacuation orders were put in place for Kitt Peak National Observatory, near Tucson, Arizona. The desert mountain is home to “more than twenty optical and two radio telescopes,” making it “one of the largest gatherings of astronomical instruments in the northern hemisphere.” The locals affectionately like to call it “telescope national forest.”
Update 2 June 17, 3:00 p.m. MST
According to the Tucson Sentinel, the fire “topped the summit of Kitt Peak early Friday morning and breached the main road, however fire crews were able to defend the observatory overnight.” Around 2 a.m. Friday, fire crews “engaged the fire as it topped the summit, breaching Kitt Peak Road and threatening Kitt Peak National Observatory. Fire officials said dense shrubs helped the fire quickly climb up the mountain’s slopes. The fire’s progress also forced the evacuation of Pan Tak, a small community on the Tohono O’odham Nation about one mile south of Ajo Highway, and four miles from Kitt Peak.”
NOIRLabs, which manages Kitt Peak Observatory for the National Science Foundation, said “a crew of firefighters are working on the summit with multiple engines. Hydrants have been tested, and fire hoses deployed to defend the observatory’s buildings.” Firefighters are also dropping “large amounts” of fire retardant on the southern end. The day before, crews successfully “cleared a line of trees and brush below the peak’s southern ridge, an effort that was ‘mostly complete’ by the evening.” The webcams are down because power was cut to “mitigate unintentional sparking.”
Update June 17, 10:00 a.m. MST
As reported by EarthSky, “as of this morning, June 17, NASA’s Fire Information for Resource Management website showed the fire on the flanks of Kitt Peak. The Kitt Peak webcams were working Thursday evening but were out of order by Friday morning.”
On Thursday, NOIRLab, which operates Kitt Peak National Observatory, related that “firefighters are dropping large amounts of fire retardant on the southern end of the observatory in an effort to slow the advance. In addition, the firefighters are focusing on removing brush on the slopes and have spotters watching for hotspots. The key instruments have been covered with protective wraps and other packaging. The optics on the large telescopes have been covered to protect them from smoke and falling ash.”
This is a GIF animation of the @KittPeakNatObs made with the last 23 frames before the Mayall webcam signal was off this morning. You can see a lot of smoke as well as moving vehicles. There are about 70 firefighters on site to protect the facilities, salute! #ContrerasFire pic.twitter.com/BQkuohWyHh
— Jianwei Lyu (@astroskii77) June 17, 2022
Kitt Peak threatened by fire
The “lightning-caused” Contreras Fire, burning up the Baboquivari Mountains, exploded in growth to about 11,500 acres and remains completely uncontained. It threatens the Kitt Peak observatory, as well as nearby Elkhorn Ranch. The science facility is in what Arizona calls “GO status” meaning out of “READY, SET, GO” it’s time to be gone.
Officially, they call it “voluntary evacuation” but strongly urge everyone to leave the area quickly. According to Tohono O’odham peoples, “the community directly next to active flames may see an increase in wildlife activity.”
Kitt Peak right now. 😢 pic.twitter.com/FBuASGvHj7
— Dr Sam Youles (@SamanthaYoules) June 17, 2022
They urge everyone to simply leave the animals alone. They know instinctively what to do. This is due to the animals searching for safety and food alternatives.
The latest word is that the “Type 2 Eastern Area Incident Management Team has assumed command of the firefighting effort.” While Kitt Peak is already in GO status, nearby Elkhorn Ranch is still listed as “SET.” That means “there is significant danger in the area and residents should be alert and consider voluntarily relocating.”
Making things worse, “high winds, low relative humidity and extremely rough terrain continue to challenge firefighting efforts.” It doesn’t help that the ongoing drought has underbrush tinder dry.
There is only one road up and down the mountain to Kitt Peak, State Route 386. It’s closed. The mountain range sits inside the Tohono O’odham Nation and the Contreras Fire was sparked when lightning hit north of the Baboquivari Peak on Saturday, June 11. In the local language, that means “narrow about the middle.” Smoke from the blaze is clearly visible in Tucson.
For now, firefighters are concentrating on “protecting the Elkhorn Ranch, the observatory and communication tower sites in the area.” As of the latest updates, the fire sits “approximately 1 1/2 miles from the observatory and a quarter-mile from the ranch.” A team of more than 300 firefighters are battling the flames.
A brush fire that has been dubbed the #ContrerasFire is burning near @KittPeakNatObs. The observatory was evacuated at 4:45 pm MST today. We’re grateful to the firefighters hard at work on the mountain. Safety remains our top priority.
Image: KPNO/@NOIRLabAstro/@NSF/@AURADC pic.twitter.com/TKF4cjDmSi— Kitt Peak National Observatory (@KittPeakNatObs) June 16, 2022
State of Emergency for Pipeline Fire
On Thursday, June 16, Governor Doug Ducey called a state of emergency for the Pipeline Fire north of Flagstaff. That one has roared across 24,800 acres and “continues to present challenges to responding crews and the community.”
The Pipeline Fire was started by a camper burning toilet paper. He’s in custody and they will send him a bill for it. One which will ruin his life but never get paid. This fire’s getting more attention than the one on Kitt Peak because it’s bigger.
In both the Kitt Peak and Flagstaff fires, the top priority to government officials is public safety. “As state and local fire officials work to contain the blaze, our office will ensure emergency officials have the resources to respond to and recover from the fire’s scars. We will continue to work with our partners on the ground to provide all support necessary to mitigate the fire and protect people, pets and property.”
“We continue to pray for the safety of all firefighters and first responders who are battling hot and windy conditions. For a community still recovering from the path of the Tunnel Fire in April, this new blaze is a reminder for all Arizonans to be vigilant and safe this wildfire season.”
INSANE FOOTAGE – On the Contreras Fire in Arizona. A massive dust devil in the background of a tanker drop. Last reported at 6,700 acres the fire is on the Tohono O'odham Indian Reservation. Multiple Hotshot crews are working the fire #contrerasfire #arizona #azwx #wildfire #fire pic.twitter.com/coDJ9UF8Gj
— TheHotshotWakeUp (@HotshotWake) June 16, 2022
Hopefully, the fire crews will be able to clear an area sufficient to protect the Kitt Peak telescope complex.
In addition to the huge inverted check mark dominating the peak which is the McMath-Pierce Solar Telescope, once known as the largest in the world, the observatory is home to he Mayall 4 meter telescope and the WIYN 3.5 meter telescope. Those are a good size for Earth based astronomy. This is a developing story and more details will be released as they become available.
