The Tonto National Forest Type 3 Team will be hosting a Community Meeting this evening at 6 p.m., at The Christopher Creek Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Please use the entrance on Christopher Creek Road.
Operations: Yesterday, tactical firing operations took place along Forest Road 291 from Colcord Lookout east to the 512 road, and approximately two miles south along the 512 road. Traffic on the 512 road experienced delays and intermittent closures for firefighter and public safety due to smoke causing decreased visibility. Today, motorists should delay travel on the 512 road until Friday morning at 9 a.m. if possible. Delays and intermittent closures are to be expected to continue until conditions improve. Fire management teams will continue hand ignition firing operations continuing south along the 512 road. Overall firing operations may continue for 10 days or more depending on wind and weather conditions.
Fire Ecology: Healthy ponderosa pine trees commonly live to be well over 300 years old, and some have been aged at over 900; only 1 or 2 seedlings per acre per decade need to survive to support the historic open forest structure. Open ponderosa pine forests were dominated by large, old trees with mostly a grassy understory. With an understory of grass and pine needles, and copious lightning, frequent fires killed most seedlings most years, leaving just the few seedlings needed to replace the larger trees over the centuries. With too little fire for decades, too many trees have survived, acting as ‘ladders’ for fire to get up into the forest canopy when conditions are extreme. https://www.fs.usda.gov/managing-land/wildfire-crisis.
Weather: Conditions are very dry and temperatures will approach 90 degrees today. Winds will increase from the west, southwest with gusts up to 25 mph along exposed ridgetops and lighter winds in sheltered valleys. A few afternoon clouds may develop over the area but no rain is expected. Very warm and dry conditions will persist through the weekend.
Closures: An emergency closure order for the Valentine Fire will go into effect 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 amount of smoke due excessive fuel accumulation. Smoke will be heavier in the mornings as it settles into the lower elevations and will lift as temperatures increase. Smoke-sensitive individuals and people with respiratory problems or heart disease are encouraged to take precautionary measures An interactive smoke map at https://fire.airnow.gov/ allows you to zoom into your area to see the latest smoke conditions.
Fire details:
Official fire Information:
Tonto National Forest: https://www.fs.usda.gov/main/tonto/fire
InciWeb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident-information/aztnf-valentine-fire
Email: [email protected]
Fire Information Line: (928) 362-0101
Office Hours: 8:00 AM – 8:00 PM