Monsoon flooding leaves behind muddy mess near Flagstaff

FLAGSTAFF, AZ (3TV/CBS 5) - Monsoon rain hit the Pipeline Fire burn scar near Flagstaff and water carried mud right down to people’s homes in the Doney Park area of Flagstaff on Thursday. The mud went right up to some of their garage doors. As of Thursday evening, mud was still filling up people’s yards and streets.

Earlier in the day, neighbors were helping each other with putting sandbags around homes. More than a dozen people helped Mary Snyder build a wall of sandbags around her home. She’s lived there for 18 years and has never seen anything like it. “It’s a disaster. It’s not water, it’s mud, and the whole backyard is completely covered. Probably a foot, if not a foot and a half is going into my neighbors yard,” she said.

Kathleen Salcido was among the many people who saw the flooding coming down the burn scar. “It didn’t occur to me that it would come this far but of course it would. It’s all going downhill and there is nothing to stop it. It’s really sad,” she said. Salcido said she was thankful for her neighbors’ help putting out sandbags. “Makes my heart full because I would not be able to do this by myself,” she said. “It makes me choke up. It shows you how thank God there are really good and kind people in this world.”

U.S. 89 was closed for hours but reopened near Flagstaff after monsoon flooding had closed both directions. The freeway was shut down just before 12:30 p.m. on Thursday near Johnson Ranch Road. The Arizona Department of Transportation said all lanes were reopened around 4:30 p.m. Earlier in the day, people living around areas of the Pipeline Fire burn scar were told to seek shelter due to flash flooding concerns.

Parts of Yavapai County are under a flash flood warning until 5:45 p.m., including Mt. Union and Palace Station, while other areas like Upper Burro Creek Wilderness and Bagdad Airport have the same warning until 7 p.m.

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