Arizona Forestry conducting prescribed burn near Flagstaff Observatory

Starting the week of November 15, the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management begins ignitions to 400 acres of the Flagstaff Wildland Urban Interface Observatory Blocks Prescribed Burn.

The Flagstaff WUI Observatory Rx Burn is part of a larger scale, 750-acre project, approximately six miles west of Flagstaff, southwest of Observatory Mesa, and south of Interstate 40. The projected, multi-day burn begins Monday afternoon and is weather dependent.

DFFM burn managers plan to burn the 400 acres over the course of a few days to help lessen smoke impacts to nearby communities. However, once ignitions begin, smoke will be visible to drivers along I-40 and winds out of the southwest have the potential to push smoke north, likely impacting the highway. There is a possibility overnight smoke may affect I-40 and settle into the lower elevations.

This prescribed burn project helps aid forest restoration and helps areas keep forest fuels from accumulation, in turn, reducing extreme wildfire behavior and keeping nearby communities safer. All prescribed burns are weather dependent and must have prior approval from the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality.

Burn updates can be found on DFFM’s social media channels, including Facebook and Twitter.