Coronado National Forest

Firefighters extended fire lines westward along the international border yesterday. Subsequently a burnout of fuels between the fire and the line was conducted last night while air temperatures were more moderate and humidity levels higher.  The effect was to create additional defensible space between the fire and the fire line.  This work was conducted to keep any additional fire growth south of the international boundary.

Redington Road remains closed. A closure order remains in place on the Coronado National Forest for the areas affected by the Bighorn Fire.

Highlights: A closure order remains in place on the Coronado National Forest for the area affected by the Bighorn Fire. Despite the increasing containment and reduced visual presence of the fire, Forest Supervisor Kerwin Dewberry reminds homeowners and recreationists that the closure is still in effect to allow for safe firefighting activities and to protect the public. 

Yesterday’s Activity: Fire remains active in the areas south and west of Willow Canyon, and aviation assets were used to cool several areas that showed increased fire activity. Due to the extremely rugged terrain in the Pusch Ridge Wilderness and the lack of safety zones, fire managers have determined that it is unsafe for firefighters to make a direct attack on the fire in this area. Efforts are ongoing to keep the fire west of the Catalina Highway as it slowly moves south toward Windy Point.

Weather: Today through Monday will be hotter than normal with slightly lower humidity and a west to northwest 10 to 15 mph breeze in the afternoon and evenings. Temperatures will be 80 to 90 degrees in the upper elevations and 101 to 106 on the valley floor. 

Yesterday’s Activity: Firefighters backhauled equipment from the Summerhaven and Willow Canyon areas. Crews mopped up in Beuhman Canyon. Chipping operations continued in the Peppersauce Canyon and along Redington Road. Patrol and mop up work were performed along the southeast fire perimeter. Equipment backhaul, fire suppression repair, and patrol were conducted on the remaining fire perimeter. Resources were available for initial attack on new fire starts. Sabino Canyon was patrolled.

Weather: Partly cloudy today with a slight chance of thunderstorms in the afternoon. Temperatures 75 to 84 in the upper elevations and 97 to 101 at the valley floor with 5 to 15 mph southwest winds. 

Increasing clouds with a chance of showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon and early evening. Temperatures will be 70 to 78 at upper elevations and 93 to 96 on the valley floor.

Weather: Slight chance of an early evening thunderstorm and light showers over the fire area overnight. Temperatures will be 59 to 66 at upper elevation and 73 to 76 on the valley floor. South to southeast winds 5-15 mph.

Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) assessment team released a map showing the runoff potential for areas burned by the Bighorn Fire. BAER specialists were able to use existing data and data from pre-fire and post-fire satellite remote sensing imagery from the Bighorn Fire burned area. The runoff map shows the levels of hydrological potential flows during rain events.