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Group escapes close call with Flag Fire near Kingman

Posted at 10:38 PM, Apr 26, 2021
and last updated 2021-04-27 01:38:36-04

A Kingman couple had a close call with the Flag Fire, unwittingly driving up on the fire line after it broke out Sunday.

Laurie and Bob Glass were out touring the Hualapai Mountains in their Jeep, along with several other people riding in separate vehicles.

"We left at nine o'clock in the morning," Laurie Glass said. "At that time there was no fire anywhere."

That changed during their trip as the group came upon the Flag Fire which sparked Sunday afternoon.

PHOTOS: Flag Fire burning near Kingman

"Somebody happened to look up and see smoke...coming off of the mountainside," Laurie Glass said.

Faced with limited options to get to safety, the group drove ahead, through hazy orange smoke with flames just a few feet away.

"The decision was made as a group to go for it," Laurie Glass said. "And it wasn't a slow Jeep ride anymore."

The group, split into roughly a half dozen vehicles, communicated via radio.

"When we decided to go, it was just, 'ok, we're going to go," Bob Glass said. "We went as fast as you could go on a mountainous dirt road, where there's drop-offs."

Laurie was recording on her cell phone while her husband took to the wheel. The video spans more than three minutes as they navigated the smoke and flames.

Nightmare within the Flag Fire near Kingman

The couple told ABC15 they moved from Illinois and have a newfound appreciation for wildfires.

"Wildfires is a new adventure, a new whatever for me," Laurie Glass said. "I don't think I'll drive through one again."

Mohave County officials said the fire has burned approximately 1,400 acres as of Monday afternoon. Officials say it is 0% contained and only one shed/outbuilding has burned.