Crews continued securing the southwest corner of the fire perimeter and increased interior depth prior to the arrival of strong winds over the weekend. Crews completed installing pumps and handlines in Haigler Creek.
Operations: Thursday, crews held the perimeter of the fire along FSRD 411 to Lost Salt Canyon and FSRD 200 while other crews completed clearing snags along FSRD 778. Crews finished hooking up pumps and laying hose lines in Haigler Creek to help secure the south-central containment line where there is no road access. Today, will have limited aerial operations due to high winds. Hand ignitions will continue bringing the fire line downslope towards Haigler Creek and FSRD 848 in the morning. Crews will be patrolling, looking for snags and holding established containment lines along FSRD 411 and FSRD 291 throughout the day.
Fire Ecology: Many species appear in greater abundance after a fire. One to keep an eye out for next spring is the elusive morel mushroom. They have distinctive honeycomb-like caps, but also excel at blending into their environment. Many species of morels are ‘pyrophytes’, fire-loving plants that have their most prolific fruiting years in areas that have been recently burned by moderate severity fires – like the Valentine. No one is certain what causes this, but some think it is related to soil becoming more alkaline when wood ash combines with water and infiltrates the soil.
Weather: Thursday had some high clouds with a slight cool down and was sunny in late afternoon as the clouds dispersed. Winds are expected to increase today and tomorrow with gusts up to 40 MPH.
Closures: An emergency closure order for the Valentine Fire went into effect as of 6 a.m. Sept. 5, 2023. The public is asked to avoid the fire area. The purpose of the closure order is to protect public health and safety during the Valentine Fire, and to protect assigned firefighting personnel engaging in wildland firefighting operations. Signs and gates will be in place to remind the public not to enter the fire area. Please visit the Alerts and Notices page for more information: https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/tonto/alerts-notices.
Safety: The health and safety of firefighters, and the public are always the highest priority. Members of the public are asked to avoid the fire area.
Smoke: The fire will produce considerable amounts of smoke due to excessive fuel accumulation. Smoke from the Valentine Fire may be visible in the surrounding areas for many days. Smoke-sensitive individuals and people with respiratory problems or heart disease are encouraged to take precautionary measures. An interactive smoke map available at, https://www.airnow.gov/wildfires/ allows you to zoom into your area to see the latest smoke conditions.
Fire details:
Information Links and Contacts:
Tonto National Forest: https://www.fs.usda.gov/main/tonto/fire
InciWeb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident-information/aztnf-valentine-fire
Fire Email: [email protected]
Fire Information Line: (928) 362-0101 • Office Hours: 8:00 AM – 8:00 PM