Beginning June 21, due to dry and hot conditions, fire restrictions will be implemented on Bureau of Land Management lands within the Phoenix District. The district’s 2.4 million acres of public lands in Arizona extend across portions of eight counties, including Pima, Pinal, Maricopa, Gila, Yavapai, Coconino, Navajo and Apache counties. Visitors to public lands in these counties are encouraged to plan before recreating in the area and check for updates for local weather and fire conditions.
Beginning June 21, the following are temporarily prohibited until rescinded:
The National Weather Service has issued a RED FLAG WARNING for Thursday May 17 from 11 am to 7 pm for all of the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests (ASNFs) and most of eastern Arizona due to strong winds and low relative humidity. Relative humidity levels are expected to drop into the single digits and wind gusts are expected to be between 30 to 40 mph over the White Mountains and Mogollon Rim Country.
Director Tanya N. Garfield of the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Disaster Field Operations Center-West today reminded Arizona small businesses of the May 3, 2018, deadline to apply for an SBA federal disaster loan for economic injury caused by post-fire flooding from monsoon storms that occurred July 19 - Sept. 30, 2017.
Yesterday, aerial ignitions in conjunction with helicopters dropping water to moderate fire intensity around the historic cabin and Kendrick lookout tower. Hand ignitions are planned around private property in the coming days once fire has reached a predetermined location in efforts to protect property and values at risk. Fire will continue to work its way through timber stands consuming dead and down fuels along the forest floor minimizing impacts to tree canopies.
Certain developed recreation sites on the Coconino National Forest are exempt from fire restrictions, which begin tomorrow at 8 a.m. across the forest. The goal of the fire restrictions is to protect public health by reducing the number of preventable human-caused wildfires.
Campfire and smoking restrictions, also known as Stage I fire restrictions, will begin at 8 a.m. this Thursday across the entire Kaibab and Coconino national forests. The goal of the fire restrictions is to protect public health by reducing the number of preventable human-caused wildfires.
Predicted calmer winds on Tuesday may allow fire personnel to reassess operational tactics. In order to mitigate negative impacts on resources in the Kendrick Mountain Wilderness, fire managers plan to use aerial ignitions to introduce fire on the peaks. Flames burning uphill preheat fuels, creating a hotter burn which can harm the natural ecosystem. In contrast, flames backing down a slope burn at a much lower severity. Firefighters will introduce a lower-intensity backing fire.
Coconino County District 5 Supervisor Lena Fowler will host a community event
with the Boundary Fire Type II Incident Team to answer questions about the fire. The meeting will start at 4 p.m. Arizona Time (5 p.m. Daylight Savings time) Monday, June 12, at the Tuba City Chapter House, Tuba City.
A meteorologist from the team will explain wind patterns, expected fire and smoke behavior and the forecast over the next few weeks. Supervisor Fowler will be there to answer questions and interpret from English to Navajo.
