Valentine Fire Crews Strengthen Defenses and Monitor Spread as Rain Approaches
Firefighters on the northwest front focused on fortifying defenses and advancing tactically, while on the eastern front, crews and aerial resources increased surveillance, expanded containment, and directed the fire towards the 411 road intersection; today, they'll maintain vigilance due to anticipated wet weather.
Operations: Yesterday, crews on the northwest fire perimeter worked on improving hand lines, scouting containment lines, and familiarizing with the area as tactical firing operations continue to move west toward FSRD 411. Crews and aerial resources on the eastern perimeter of the fire continued monitoring, building depth, and bringing fire south down the 512 road to the 411 road intersection. Today, resources will hold and monitor as wetting rains and scattered storms are expected across the fire area.
Fire Ecology: One of the first things that fire has to do to a piece of fuel in order for it to burn is to drive the moisture out of it, and that takes a lot of energy. The more moisture, the more heat the fire has to ‘spend’ to get a piece of fuel to burn (a leaf or a needle or a twig). Fire managers monitor moisture levels in the leaves of some of the types of vegetation that are likely to burn in a fire. The more moisture, the less likely they are to burn or, if they do burn, the more moderate the fire behavior will be because it takes a LOT of energy to drive the moisture out of the leaves so they can burn.
Weather: Yesterday, conditions were dryer than previous days, as much of the moisture remained to the east of the fire area. Today, scattered showers and wetting rains are expected through Wednesday. Thursday will see a shift back to warmer and dryer weather that will last 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: Smoke from the Valentine Fire may be visible in the surrounding areas for many days. 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:
- Size: 2515 acres
- Start Date: August 16, 2023
- Cause: Lightning
- Completion: 47%
- Total personnel: 203
- Location: 11 miles northeast of Young, Arizona and 27 miles east of Payson, Arizona
- Fuels: Ponderosa Pine, Hardwood litter and timber
Information fire information:
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]
