Coconino National Forest spokeswoman Brienne Magee told NAZ Today that the smoke is from the Mountainaire Burn, which is a 500-acre prescribed burn south of Flagstaff near Mountainaire.  Only 150 acres were burned because of “ventilation concerns,” and crews decided to stop the burn. 

Fire conditions were determined to be good this morning, says Magee, but as conditions changed throughout the day, managers decided to shut down the burn.

Magee says that smoke will continue to drift north and east from the fire and cold weather overnight will allow for the smoke to continue to affect Flagstaff into the overnight hours.

What is believed to be the body of Suellen Roberts was discovered off of Interstate 40 just west of Seligman this morning. Deputies used leads provided by agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation to find the body near the highway, according to the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office.  Suellen and her daughter, Lexis, were reported missing from Las Vegas in September.

The leads come just a day after police in Mississippi arrested an acquaintance of Roberts, 53-year-old Thomas Sanders, on murder charges.  Roberts was arrested Sunday for the murder of 12-year-old Lexis Roberts.  Lexis’ body was found in early October by a group of hunters in a Louisiana swamp.

Coconino County Sheriff’s investigators are helping to establish a timeline of events involving Sanders and the Roberts after finding out that the three stayed in a Flagstaff motel in September, and that the three visited the Grand Canyon together. The YCSO says that Suellen Roberts became friends with Sanders earlier this year, and decided to take her daughter along for a vacation with Sanders.

The FBI is awaiting an autopsy and positive identification of the body by Yavapai County medical examiners to determine whether Sanders is also linked to the death of Suellen Roberts.

Several fire engines respond to a 2nd Alarm carbon monoxide leak in downtown Flagstaff (NAZ Today/Brandon Neuman)

FLAGSTAFF (NAZ Today)– A second-alarm carbon monoxide leak has sent at least fifteen people to the hospital and forced the evacuation of the Bank of America building in downtown Flagstaff.

Shortly before 4:30 pm this afternoon, firefighters received several calls of a possible gas leak at the building.  As the first wave of firefighters arrived, they were met by several people complaining of symptoms consistent with carbon monoxide poisoning, according to Flagstaff Fire Department Captain Mark Johnson.  Firefighters determined that it was a carbon monoxide leak and a second alarm was issued as rescuers began evacuating the building.

An eyewitness that works in the building told NAZ Today that most of the floors had been evacuated by 4:45.

By 5:00 pm, 19 people had reported illnesses to firefighters at the scene, and 15 had been transported to Flagstaff Medical Center, according to a firefighter at the scene.  The Associated Press is reporting that in all, 25 people were evaluated by paramedics at the scene.

Flagstaff Medical Center spokeswoman Janet Dean told the Associated Press that 17 patients had been seen at the hospital.

Several fire engines respond to a 2nd Alarm carbon monoxide leak in downtown Flagstaff (NAZ Today/Brandon Neuman)

Engines from the Summit and Highlands Fire Departments arrived in Flagstaff just after 5:30 pm to help respond to calls while firefighters work downtown.

Firefighters used electric fans to help ventilate the building.

At least one tenant inside the building will be closed Wednesday.  Coconino County spokeswoman Brenda Grey says that the county’s GIS office will be closed for the day Wednesday.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Video below (Videographer: Chad Black)

Captain Matt Turner of the Flagstaff Fire Department:

By November 1st, travelers between northwestern Arizona and Las Vegas on US Highway 93 will no longer have to travel over the Hoover Dam, thanks to a 1,900-foot, $165 million dollar that was dedicated earlier today.

NAZ Today was there, 890 feet above the Colorado River, for the dedication ceremony.

Videographer: Brandon Neuman

A Southwest Airlines jet from Indianapolis heading for Phoenix landed in Flagstaff this afternoon as the Phoenix area dealt with dust and thunderstorms.

City of Flagstaff Spokeswoman Kim Ott and Wiseman Avaition owner Orville Wiseman confirmed that air traffic controllers in Albuquerque requested for the Flagstaff Airport to prepare for up to four 737′s from Southwest and Delta Airlines to land in Flagstaff this afternoon.

Wiseman confirmed with air traffic controllers that the other three planes were diverted to other locations.

The Southwest Airlines plane from Indianapolis is currently sitting on the tarmac in front of Wiseman Avaition, and officials say that the passengers will remain on the plane until it leaves Flagstaff.

Wiseman says that the plane will receive 11,000 lbs. of fuel at the airport before it departs for Phoenix later this evening. He also says lightning in the area will delay the refueling process.

Flagstaff, Az. – Engineers and scientists gathered in Flagstaff the week of

September 19-24 to attend the ‘Ridgeline to Rio’ Summit, in an effort to

analyze and discuss the effects of flooding due to the Schultz Fire—aiming

to determine next steps to mitigate the effects and explore drainage

solutions and burned area restoration.

Hosted by Coconino County and the Coconino National Forest, the Summit

included hydrologists, soil scientists, engineers, members of the academic

community, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; and representatives from

Coconino County, U.S. Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, City

of Flagstaff, Northern Arizona University, Natural Resources Conservation

Service (NRCS), Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT), and private

engineering firms.

On the evening of Sept. 19, participants met with a panel of residents who

have historical knowledge of the flood areas, located in Timberline,

Fernwood and Doney Park.  Long-time residents were able to provide

information on established water flow patterns, typical rainfall and

previous area flooding.

During the Summit, participants were asked to “think outside the box” and

to not consider limiting factors such as costs (within reason), existing

policies, and untested mitigation efforts.  They were charged with

developing as many possible actions as they could initially and then hone

them down to the best possible short- and long-term options for further

consideration.

The strong consensus among Summit participants is the importance of

creating a new Drainage Master Plan in order to gain understanding and

quantify the watershed response as it exists today and in the future. The

post-burn/post-flood watershed is significantly different than the pre-burn

watershed. Experts must understand these effects in order to design a

comprehensive drainage system aimed at minimizing the hazard. The estimated

cost of the Drainage Plan is $200,000 to $300,000.

Most future solutions for mitigating flooding would be developed and based

upon the Plan. Some of the factors to consider include environmental

studies, funding, multiple agencies involved, permitting processes,

construction, policy and regulatory constraints, private and public land

issues, weather, and level of risk.

The Summit concluded today with the participants presenting a summary of

their findings and options to officials from Coconino County, Coconino

National Forest, City of Flagstaff, Arizona Department of Emergency

Management, Arizona Department of Transportation, Summit Fire District,

NRCS, Natural Resource Conservation District, and the congressional office

of Representative Ann Kirkpatrick.

Next Steps

   Initiate short term actions (before the end of the year)

         o  Secure funding and initiate Drainage Master Plan of the area.

         o  Coconino National Forest currently pursuing fourth Burned Area

            Emergency Response (BAER) measure with expedited contracting.

                  – Aerially apply certified weed-free sterile cereal

                  ryegrass on high-severity burn areas (not previously

                  seeded; and previously seeded, but seed washed away).

                  – Consider application of shrub seed on targeted areas as

                  part of the seed application contract.

                  – Aerially apply agricultural straw on high-severity burn

                  areas with slopes between 30 and 65 percent (that have

                  not been previously mulched; or where previously applied

                  mulch has washed away).

                  – Prepare application for manufactured wood mulch to be

                  applied by July 2011.

         o  Evaluate potential locations for partially buried jersey

            barriers above targeted neighborhoods to reduce flood flow

            velocities and trap sediment.

         o  County pursuing new round of Emergency Watershed Protection

            funding from NRCS for measures such as low water crossings.

         o  Stabilize existing conveyances (Campbell and Copeland

            channels).

         o  Evaluate stabilization of channel erosion in specific

            locations.

         o  Evaluate and construct low-water crossings where necessary.

         o  Install additional structure protection as needed.

         o  Increase box culvert capacity where needed.

         o  Begin North Highway 89 safety measures

         o  Continue to look at engineering and feasibility design for

            Fernwood and Sunset Crater Estates.

         o  Install additional precipitation gauges at higher elevations

            within the burn area to provide additional storm information

            for emergency warnings, and to gather data for hydrology

            studies and plans.

         o  Evaluate measures implemented during emergency for redesign or

            reconfiguration.

            o     Continue to work with Federal, State, and local

   leadership.

            o     County officials to share results of Summit with

   Congressional delegation and key federal agencies in Washington D.C.

   next week.

            o     Determine approach for public engagement.

            o     Increase resources to support securing funding.

For more information about the Summit, please call Coconino County Special

Initiatives Director Lucinda Andreani at 928-679-7166, or Coconino National

Forest Public Affairs Officer Brady Smith at 928-527-3490.

As part of the road construction project on San Francisco Street and Beaver Street, utility crews have closed Beaver Street between Phoenix Avenue and Benton Avenue until Thursday.  The project contractor and the City of Flagstaff  will replace and perform repairs on the water that runs under Beaver Street.  City Utilities Director Randy Pellatz says that many of the water lines in the area are at least 70 years old.

The water main will be shut off overnight on Wednesday, from 9 pm to 6 am Thursday morning.

A detour is in place.  Traffic traveling south will be routed west on Phoenix Avenue, south on Mike’s Pike, and east on Benton Avenue back to Beaver Street. The parking lot for the restaurants and businesses at the corner of Beaver Street and Cottage Avenue can be accessed by traveling east from the intersection of Cottage and Mike’s Pike.

Flood waters rush down Campbell near US 89, taken from Chevron parking lot. (Patrick Walker/NAZ Today)

FLAGSTAFF (NAZ Today)– Rainfall rates of 1-2 inches per hour caused yet another round of flooding and road closures in the Schultz Burn area a few miles northeast of Flagstaff.

Washes quickly filled with runoff, and soon overflowed into neighborhood streets including Campbell Way and Kevin’s Way.  Coconino County Sheriff’s deputies and Department of Public Safety officers quickly closed those roads and closed the outside southbound lanes of US 89 in several spots so that ADOT and  Coconino County crews could clear debris from the intersections.

Part of Kevin’s Way at US 89 is washed out, erroded away from water in the street flowing into a drainage culvert.

Flood waters flow onto the Chevron gas station property at Campbell/US 89. (Patrick Walker/NAZ Today)

At the Chevron gas station on US 89 and Campbell, flood waters rushed down drainage ditches and overflowed into the gas pump area.  Water was backing up as there was too much to pass through culverts under the highway.

Speeds are reduced to 35 miles per hour for a few miles on US 89 while crews continue to clean up debris washed onto area roads.

More rainfall is possible this afternoon.

Elsewhere, at the Grand Canyon, a Flash Flood Warning has been issued until 6 pm.  The National Weather Service says that radar indicates 2-3 inches of rain has fallen over the area, with additional thunderstorms moving though the area for the rest of the day.  Supai and nearby areas are included in the warning

An ADOT grader clears debris from the outside southbound lane on US 89 south of Kevin's Way. (Patrick Walker/NAZ Today)

DPS and CCSO block off Kevin's Way, which was partially washed-out by flood waters. (Patrick Walker/NAZ Today)

A CCSO deputy surveys the damage from flood waters coming off of Kevin's Way. (Patrick Walker/NAZ Today)

4-year-old Travis Mitchell has been found by rescuers (Courtesy: Payson Police Department)

PAYSON (NAZ Today)– 4-year-old Travis Mitchell has been reunited with his family after being found by rescuers.

The 18-hour search ended shortly after 11 am this morning when searchers on horseback found Travis in a canyon a few miles from where he disappeared Sunday night.

Mitchell was playing with friends and his older brother when he was separated from the group at around 5 pm.

A DPS Ranger helicopter transported him to Payson Regional Medical Center a few miles away to be checked out, where he was reunited with his family.

Rescuers from multiple agencies and numerous volunteers joined in the search after sunset last night.  “About 300 people were out last night,” volunteer Rachel Beeler told NAZ Today. “Our whole group (of friends) was out there looking.”  Beeler’s party searched several dirt roads and quad trails until around 2 am this morning off of Chenault Parkway, west of the Payson Airport, near where the family lives.

The Payson Police Department extends a big thank you to all of the volunteers and agencies that helped with the

Missing Child: 4-year-old Travis Mitchell (Courtesy: Payson Police Department)

PAYSON (NAZ Today)– Rescuers and volunteers are looking for a missing 4-year-old Payson boy.

Travis Mitchell disappeared Sunday night while playing with some other children and his older brother into the woods in the northwest part of Payson. Payson police, the Gila County Sheriff’s Office, the Department of Public Safety, other agencies and numerous volunteers are helping Tonto Rim Search and Rescue look for the boy.

“About 300 people were out last night,” volunteer Rachel Beeler told NAZ Today. “Our whole group (of friends) was out there looking.”

The boy went missing from his home near the Payson airport at around 5 pm Sunday night.  Beeler and her search party were  searching on some roads into National Forest land off of Chenault Parkway, just west of the airport

The airport’s weather station shows that temperatures hovered at the 70 degree mark for most of the overnight hours under fair skies, with temps briefly falling to the mid-60s for a short time around dawn.  However, the weather may play a factor in today’s search.  Heavy rain is expected at times throughout the day, according to the National Weather Service.

Mitchell was wearing a red shirt with a football on it, blue shorts, and flip-flop sandals when he went missing.  He is three feet tall and weighs 60 pounds. Anyone who has seen the boy in the area can dial 9-1-1 or call the Payson Police Department at (928) 474-5177.