Prescott

The Southwest Area Type 1 Incident Management Team is winding down operations Saturday on the Horse Fire after containment increases to 63 percent. 

With no perimeter growth, evacuations were lifted for certified residents of Crown King. Firefighters remain in the area to ensure safety. There is no evidence of heat or smoke from the western edge to the southern tip of the fire perimeter. The FSR 52 is secure, though smoke will be seen from smoldering Ponderosa. Heavy equipment is still being used to improve the FSR 52 and FSR 58, and crews continue chipping downed vegetation.   

The Horse Fire has had little growth over the last few days. Smoke can be seen on the northeast corner where smoldering continues as heavy dead and down continues to burn. 

Minimal activity is expected Thursday as a cold front approaches, though winds increase. 

The southern perimeter of the Horse fire shows little heat Wednesday, though winds are forecast to increase each day through Saturday and could rekindle interior heat sources.   

Crews are directly on the fire’s west-southwest edge holding containment there at 32%. The fire is moving and making short runs in the northeast corner where it is being monitored; helicopters are being used if needed. 

The Horse Fire burned actively Monday in the northeast corner of the perimeter from Blind Indian Creek to Pine Springs drainage and made short runs. Hotshot crews will aggressively work in this area on Tuesday. 

Residents can expect to see aircraft that is heavily being used to supplement on the ground firefighting.  

In the Crown King community, crews continue to create firebreaks; sprinkler systems are in place in the center of town and areas homes, with crews expanding protection Tuesday to the southwest areas. The community of Crown King remains evacuated.  

Virtual Community Meeting at 6:00 p.m. Monday, October 19, 2020.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PrescottNF/

Three firefighting divisions are protecting the community of Crown King, Arizona from the Horse wildfire Monday by creating firebreaks, constructing fireline, and installing sprinkler systems from the center of the town to outward structures. Crown King is evacuated. Additional work occurred along the southwest fire perimeter where firefighters increased containment to 21 percent.

The Southwest Area Type 1 Incident Management Team assumes command of the Horse Fire Sunday with additional firefighters and support equipment arriving in Crown King, Arizona.

The Horse Fire is actively burning northwest of Crown King and about 18 miles south of Prescott in very remote areas of the Prescott National Forest. With brush as high as eight feet, dense vegetation, steep terrain, and limited access options, firefighters cannot be placed directly in front of the fire. Aircraft is and has been aggressively used since the fire began Thursday, for full suppression.

The Horse Fire grew to 3,500 acres over the evening. Airtankers and helicopters were essential in slowing the spread of the fire as firefighters gained access. The fire is in a remote section of the forest with steep, rugged terrain. The strategy for the Horse fire is full suppression as crews continue to use aircraft to slow the rate of spread and scout for holding features to use as containment lines. The fire burned active all night and spotted just south of Minnehaha as of 8AM and has become well established and has become 100 acres in size.

 Fire managers on the Bradshaw/Chino Valley Ranger District are planning to conduct the Graver Wash RX which is a restoration burn sometime between July 21st and July 26th; when the conditions are most favorable for a successful outcome.  Graver Wash is an 8,072 acre prescribed burn unit, but managers do not intend to treat the whole 8,072 acres during this treatment.  Managers will be focusing on black lining the perimeter and targeting available fuels interior.  This project may require multiple entries over multiple years to treat the entire project area.