Fires in Arizona: more than one
Though the news has rightly been making a very big deal about the out-of-control Wallow wildfire in eastern Arizona, it turns out that this is not the only serious wildfire in the state.
Friends in Arizona clued me in on this website, Inciweb, which lists all the fires both active and inactive in the U.S. Of the active fires, Wallow is by far the biggest at almost 400,000 acres. However, there are three other big fires in the Coronado National Forest on the Mexican border whose total acreage exceeds 200,000 acres. These particular fires have shut down all public access to Coronado.
It is believed by one of my local Arizona friends that these fires are probably linked to either the illegal drug or immigrant smuggling that passes along the forest’s trails, coming north from Mexico. (When I was out in Tucson in January we saw clear evidence of this smuggling on these trails during one hike in the Huachuca Montains, with a lot of trash scattered along the trail and in several adjacent rock shelters.)
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These are interesting newspaper (Arizona Daily Star) articles quotes.PLEASE note that I have paraphrased these comments as I have been working the Horseshoe II fire and only get the newspaper if I am assigned a task that takes me through Douglas or Wilcox, and I don’t remember the exact verbage.
1) From a rancher in southern Arizona…”Nobody in their right mind would camp in the places where these fires started. (on the speculation that the fire starters were illegal entrants, drug mules, or coyotes, smugglers of illegals).
2) This one is interesting. I don’t think that President Obama really has time to dwell on these matters, so my guess is that it comes from his staff. “President Obama does not want to consider that these fires (in southern Arizona) are caused by illegals from the south because it would indicate that our homeland security has erred in their evaluation of border security.”
I’m not really certain of the reason for the policy in place, that all the National Guard is allowed to do on the border is to notify the Border Patrol when they see suspects. Is this policy in the same vein as to why Border Patrol Agent Terry was gunned down by an AK 47 while he was firing rubber bullets at “alledged” drug runners?
obama doesnt have time to dwell on these matters? is it that he is too busy chasing a few balls on the links? he is an empty suit and doesnt care about this country. he is worthless as a leader