Emergency Bulletins

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Firefighters continue to make progress on the West and Preacher Fires
9/13/2024 - 9:55 am
wildfire | smoke | West Fire | Preacher Fire | Tonto National Forest | Southwest Area Incident Management Team | Ready Set Go! | AZEIN | no drone zone

West and Preacher Fire Update, Friday, September 13, 2024

Operations: Firefighters anticipate beginning ignitions on the West Fire again today after holding multiple days through higher winds. With the previous ignitions providing a buffer of burned area on the northern and northeast side of the planned perimeter, the focus now is on igniting from the Rim Road south through Bray Creek as well as on the east side, adding another section of fire towards the southeast to around Milk Point Flat. The ignition strategy is to have fire continue to gently back down the...

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Evacuation orders issued as firefighters respond to Siphon Fire in Superstition Wilderness
9/12/2024 - 3:01 pm
wildfire | smoke | Siphon Fire | Tonto National Forest | Apache Junction | Superstition Wilderness | Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office | MCSO | Ready Set Go! | Arizona Emergency Information Network | AZEIN | no drone zone

Firefighters are responding to a wildfire, named the Siphon Fire, on the Tonto National Forest northeast of Apache Junction in the Superstition Wilderness.

The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office (MCOSO) issued an evacuation order for Canyon Lake and Tortilla Flat earlier this morning.

The Siphon Fire was first reported Sept. 10 and currently is estimated to be 2,350 acres with zero percent containment. Resources responding to the fire include one Type 2 Initial Attack Crew, one suppression module and 2 engines, along with a Type 1 Helicopter. More resources have been ordered. Due...

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Crews hold and patrol through wind event on the West and Preacher Fires
9/12/2024 - 9:14 am
West Fire | Preacher Fire | Camp Geronimo | West Webber Creek | ready-set-go | Mongollon Rim

Firefighters held the perimeter on both fires yesterday in anticipation of increased winds. On the West Fire, some ignitions were conducted on top of the Rim to encourage beneficial moderate fire intensity above Camp Geronimo and to increase the amount of area burned in the northeast corner of the perimeter. A helicopter dropped water buckets to keep the fire off the bottom of the eastern slope of West Webber Creek. This holding action was to prevent fire from running up to the top of that side of the drainage with higher intensity. A small amount of fire crossed the planned perimeter on...

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Increased smoke observed as crews continue strategic ignitions on Preacher and West Fires; Perimeters held as winds rise
9/11/2024 - 8:45 am
Tonto National Forest | West Fire | Preacher Fire | ready-set-go | Webber Creek

Residents noticed increased smoke from both the West and Preacher Fires yesterday due to the increase in ignitions. On the Preacher Fire, crews were able to ignite within the entire planned perimeter. They were assisted by a helicopter with ignition capabilities that added additional fire to the interior. Everything held within the planned perimeter and crews continued patrolling and mopping up the edge of the perimeter as needed throughout the night. On the West Fire, firefighters continued igniting the northeast corner of the planned area ahead of the anticipated winds. They were able to...

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Prescribed Fires planned on Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests in the Fall
9/10/2024 - 11:13 am
Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests | Prescribed Fires | prescribed burns

Fire managers and district rangers on the Apache- Sitgreaves National Forests are looking for appropriate conditions to continue to conduct prescribed fires during the Fall months. The timing for our Fall prescribed fires to be safely implemented is September through December.

Crews are assessing current weather conditions to make determinations on whether they are appropriate for prescribed fire activity. Individual news releases for each prescribed fire will be distributed in advance, and as fire managers and district rangers narrow down the date for ignitions for each prescribed...

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