Arizona Study Examines Multiple Long-Term Impacts Of Wildfires

Lori Willman was at home on a Sunday in June 2010 when someone from the sheriff’s department knocked on her door.

A fire had started in the Coconino National Forest and everyone in Willman’s neighborhood, the Timberline Estates north of Flagstaff, needed to evacuate.

Within two hours, Willman had packed bags with her essentials and meaningful items that belonged to her mother, who passed away in 2009.

Willman’s sister helped her round up her dogs and cats, then hose down the roof to minimize damage in case the fire should reach her house.

‘Just watching the whole side of the mountain go up was terrifying,’ Willman said. ‘We didn’t know what was happening because it was so windy and so smoky … they were calling in everything they could get for help.’