Friday afternoon an isolated thunderstorm passed over the Cottonwood Ridge area and a lightning strike started a new fire, named the Snake Ridge Fire. As of Friday evening, the fire is estimated at approximately 15 acres, and several air tankers and helicopters flew water and fire retardant to slow the spread. Crew will follow the air resources and begin to construct fireline to contain this new start. Light winds helped prevent significant fire growth.
Weather: Temperatures on Saturday will remain in the 90s on the Cottonwood Ridge Fire and could reach 100 near the Spoon Fire. Thunderstorms, which brings gusty winds, remain in the forecast, along with a chance of afternoon/evening rain.
Restrictions: There are several fire restrictions in place depending on location.
Evacuations: None. Residents and visitors should take time to become familiar with the Ready, Set, Go evacuation model. These steps help you to be READY in the event of an emergency by preparing now. Additionally, sign up for the Navajo County Alert System at https://tinyurl.com/y4vwrasw.
Smoke: Highway 60 will be impacted by smoke as the Spoon Fire continues to progress. Larger columns of smoke are more likely in the afternoon/evening. Please use caution when traveling along smokey roadways. For information on smoke and air quality visit https://www.airnow.gov.
Closures: Highway 60 remains open. The southwest portion of Fort Apache is closed, including all Salt River sites within the closure area.
Fire Details:
Official fire information:
InciWeb: Cottonwood Ridge: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident-information/azfta-cottonwood-ridge-fire
Spoon: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident-information/azfta-spoon-fire
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BIAFAAFireMgt/