Michel Marizco/KJZZ

Flagstaff residents fill pickup trucks with sandbags to defend their homes and properties against potentially damaging flooding after two wildfires destroyed watersheds.

Residents in northern Arizona will hear from county officials and engineers Thursday night about the new dangers they face from flooding after two major wildfires this year northeast of Flagstaff. 

The meeting follows dire warnings from the Coconino County flood control district about new flood threats in areas where none had existed before.

Notice to residents in Flagstaff’s rural areas warned that the Tunnel and Pipeline fires had altered the region’s landscapes and made the possibility of damaging flooding very real. At least one home was damaged in three feet of water from early flooding off the San Francisco Peaks in early June. Deep mud flows still surround homes in the region. 

Officials anticipate 300 homes are at risk from immediate flooding. And nearly 1 million sandbags are needed.