Coconino National Forest

Elden Lookout Road (Forest Road 557) was closed to motor vehicles on Wednesday due to post-fire flooding, and the Forest Service is asking the public to refrain from recreating, mountain biking and walking or hiking along the road at all.

Heavy equipment and dozers are operating on FR 557 to clear debris from drains but experiencing a high number of people recreating along the road. With dozer operators having limited visibility from the cab, this can create a safety issue and hinders operators from conducting quick and efficient clearing of drains.

Due to monsoonal activity and heavy rainfall across most of the forests, the Coconino and Kaibab National Forests will rescind all fire restrictions as of 6 a.m. Friday, July 16. The Kaibab NF will also lift the Bill Williams Mountain closure.
 

Elden Lookout Road (Forest Road 557) is closed to motor vehicles due to post-fire flooding in the Museum Fire burned area.

The road will remain closed to motor vehicles throughout the duration of the summer monsoon season due to potential flood-related hazards, such as falling rocks and trees and flood waters that can trap vehicles and injure motorists.

A Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) Team was established to begin a burned area assessment of the Rafael wildfire. BAER assessments are rapid evaluations of the burned area to identify unacceptable risks on National Forest Service (NFS) lands from post-fire threats and assist land managers in preparing the burned area prior to the first damaging weather event. The team’s focus is on the emergency actions necessary to protect life and safety, property and critical natural and cultural resources on NFS lands.

While many wildfires cause little damage to the land and pose few threats post-fire, some fires create situations that require special efforts to prevent further damage or loss after the fire is out. For example, loss of vegetation exposes soil to erosion, runoff may increase and cause flooding, and sediment may move downstream damaging roads and infrastructure or put endangered species and cultural resources at risk.

A Type 3 Incident Command Team led by Incident Commander Troy Mueller, assumed management of the Rafael Fire today at 6 a.m. Crews continued with mop up, patrol and suppression repair work.

Today, crews will continue to patrol and mop up around the fire to secure the perimeter. Interior areas of the fire are expected to continue to burn and there may be smoke visible as these areas continue to burn. The Burned Area Emergency Response team is in place and is continuing assessing burn severity over the entire fire.

Fire danger continues to remain extreme, and while some areas of the national forest have received some rain, the majority remains very dry. The rain has improved the trend for better conditions, but the Coconino National Forest will remain closed until conditions improve across the board.

The Snake Fire, located about 7 miles west of Clints Well on the northern edge of West Clear Creek, is holding at 130 acres and 60 percent containment.

The Snake Fire, located about 7 miles west of Clints Well on the northern edge of West Clear Creek, is holding at 76 acres thanks to crew efforts and morning precipitation.

The fire remains at 20 percent containment.

While the Snake Fire did receive a small amount of precipitation both last night and this morning, the full closure of the Coconino National Forest will remain in effect as weather conditions across much of the forest remain windy and dry.

The Snake Fire, located about 7 miles west of Clints Well on the northern edge of West Clear Creek, is currently 71 acres in size and 20 percent contained.