Flagstaff Fire Damage Claims Reach $5 million

Arizona residents are feeling the heat from more than the sun this summer, especially near Flagstaff.

The Schultz fire, burning near the city that was originally a railroad town, has already incurred up to $5 million in fire insurance and property damage claims, according to the latest information from the National Interagency Coordination Center’s Incident Management Situation report. So far, the fire, which is 40 percent contained, has consumed 14,800 acres.

Fire officials in the area said local residents were being allowed to return to their homes.

The fire, which was sparked by an abandoned campfire last Saturday, has been characterized as having “extreme fire behavior with rapid rates of spread” by the NICC.

Fire officials said people were being allowed to return to their homes.

NICC said the fire, which was started by an abandoned campfire on June 19, was characterized by “extreme fire behavior with rapid rates of spread.”