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The Yarnell Fire burned in hilly terrain adjacent to the town of Yarnell, AZ (located south of Prescott, AZ). This event, caused by an lightning strike, lasted from June 28 - July 10, 2013 and burned over eight thousand acres of mountaineous terrain. Due to the high impacts caused by the fire, the event eventually gained a lot of attention by the local and national media and governments.
42 lightning strikes were recorded on June 28th, 2013 in the vicinity of the Yarnell Wildland Fire region. These were due to what are called dry lightning associated with weak thunderstorms that moved off the high terrain in northern Arizona and towards the southwest.
Yarnell Hill Fire Estimated Progression June 29, 2013 to July 1, 2013.
United State Drought Monitor as of June 25, 2013 for the state of Arizona
Dry water year for Yarnell, AZ region
The location of the Yarnell Fire experienced less than average total precipitation during the 2012-2013 water year. The lack of precipitation, along with seasonally dry conditions in June, led to extremely dry vegetation. As a result, combustion easily began after the lightning struck a patch of vegetation. The rapid growth conditions were likely aided by strong and erratic winds created by thunderstorm outflow.
For more information on impacts and general inquiries about this event, please reference the contacts below: