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A4 U.S. NEWS
Thursday 21 april 2022
Southwest wildfires force evacuations, tighten resources

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — "It's just a unique commu-
An Arizona wildfire nearly nity and we're fortunate to
tripled in size as relentless live here," said Jon Stoner,
winds pushed the flames who evacuated his home
through neighborhoods on Tuesday. "We feel very
the outskirts of a college lucky with the views we
and tourist town, keep- have and the surrounding
ing hundreds of residents forest."
away from their homes and Some residents' homes
destroying more than two were burned to the
dozen structures. ground, though Coconino
The blaze continued its County hasn't said exactly
run Wednesday through how many. Officials said
dry grass and scattered Tuesday evening that 766
Ponderosa pines around homes and 1,000 animals
homes into volcanic cinder had been evacuated, and
fields, where roots under- about 250 structures re-
ground can combust and mained threatened.
send small rocks flying into One man who reportedly
the air, fire officials said. was trapped in his home by
Persistent spring winds and the flames was able to get
50-mph (80-kph) gusts hin- out, Coconino County sher-
dered firefighters. In this photo provided by the Coconino National Forest, the Tunnel Fire burns near Flagstaff, Ariz., iff's spokesman Jon Paxton
"This is a heads-up for ev- on Tuesday, April 19, 2022. said Wednesday.
erywhere else in the state," Associated Press Firefighters were expected
said fire information officer to move through neighbor-
Dick Fleishman. "If you have Hundreds of people have Wednesday and through shifted from the southern hoods Wednesday to cool
dry grass up next to your been evacuated because the rest of the week. Winds U.S. to the Southwest. down any smoldering spots
house, it's time to get that of the wildfires north of Flag- were expected to be light- On the outskirts of Flagstaff and assess what's most at
cleaned up." staff and south of Prescott er Wednesday in Arizona where tourists and locals risk. Paxton said no injuries
Fire managers are con- in Arizona. In New Mexico, but will strengthen Thurs- revel in hiking and horse- or deaths have been re-
tending with tight resources the Mora County Sher- day and Friday, said Mark back riding trails, camp- ported.
as wildfires burn around the iff's Office issued manda- Stubblefield of the National ing spots, and the vast ex- The wildfire's size has sur-
Southwest. The U.S. has 16 tory evacuations for more Weather Service. panse of cinder fields for passed another that
top-level national fire man- residents as winds fueled The number of acres off-road vehicle use, flames burned in the same area
agement teams, and four a blaze that has burned burned in the U.S. so far this soared as high as 100 feet in 2010. Resident Kathy
of those are dedicated to more than 14 square miles year is about 30% above (30 meters). Popular na- Vollmer said her husband
blazes in Arizona and New (36 square kilometers) since the 10-year average — a tional monuments includ- stayed behind then, spray-
Mexico — something Fleish- Sunday. figure that has gone up ing Sunset Crater Volcano ing down the house they've
man said is rare this early in Red flag warnings were on from 20% just earlier this and Wupatki were closed lived in since 1999 to pro-
the wildfire season. tap across New Mexico on month as the fire danger because of the wildfire. tect it. q

Last U.S. stockpile of deadly VX agent destroyed in Kentucky

plant. Officials at the Ken- a Malaysian airport. with GB nerve agent in the
tucky plant began disas- The Kentucky Army depot first half of 2020. Another
sembling about 18,000 of still has 277 tons of other 13,000 155mm projectiles
the rockets and draining chemical agents left to be with VX agent were de-
the VX agent in July, ac- destroyed, after beginning stroyed from January to
cording to a news release with more than 520 tons of May 2021.
from plant officials. VX, GB and mustard agent The military had planned
Candace Coyle, the plant's that was in storage for de- decades ago to destroy
project manager, said cades. Officials said it all the weapons in Kentucky
Wednesday the nation's should be gone by next by burning them, but after
entire stockpile of VX nerve year after it began elimi- concerns from residents
agent "is now completely nating its mustard agent and environmental groups,
destroyed." stockpiles in 2019. a plan was settled on to
VX is considered the dead- "After more than a half use water and chemicals
liest of the chemical agents century of chemical weap- to neutralize the agents.
Jeff Brubaker, site manager at the Blue Grass Chemical Agent that was produced by the ons storage in central Ken- There are also chemical
Destruction Pilot Plant, points to a cylinder that will be used to
move deadly chemical weapons from storage to a new facility U.S., much of it in the 1960s. tucky, the final chapter at weapons being destroyed
where they will be destroyed in Richmond, Ky., Oct. 27, 2015. It has a consistency similar Blue Grass Army Depot will at an Army facility in Pueb-
Associated Press to motor oil and even a soon begin," said Col. Ste- lo, Colorado. The stockpiles
tiny amount causes victims' phen Dorris, commander at the two sites accounted
By DYLAN LOVAN officials in charge of de- bodies to flood with flu- of the depot in central Ken- for the last 10% of an origi-
Associated Press stroying the Cold War-era ids, producing a feeling of tucky, where the plant is lo- nal stockpile of more than
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — The weapons. drowning before death. Of- cated. 30,000 tons of chemical
last stockpiles of a deadly The final M55 rocket con- ficials in 2017 declared that The mustard agent cam- weapons in the U.S. The
chemical agent in the U.S. taining VX nerve agent was assassins used VX agent to paign finished in Septem- Army used incineration
have been safely eliminat- destroyed Tuesday at the kill the brother of North Ko- ber. The plant also de- methods to destroy the
ed, according to Kentucky Blue Grass Chemical Agent rean leader Kim Jong Un in stroyed 4,000 projectiles weapons at other sites.q