smoke

Fire specialists will again attempt to burn 210 acres of vegetative debris piles, located about nine miles north of Payson in the vicinity of Shadow Rim Girl Scout Ranch, from Feb. 4-7.

The burn was scheduled to occur Jan. 29-31 but was cancelled as a result of increased fuel moisture due to inclement weather.

The Lakeside Ranger District of the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests plan to conduct a prescribed slash pile burn January 14 through January 17, 2020, if weather conditions allow. This unit consists of piled debris left over from the Billy Mountain Timber Sale and spans across approximately 10 acres. The unit is north of Stone Pine Estates along Buck Springs Road.

Ignitions during snow storms and/or snow pack minimize pile creep (the burning through duff and litter (forest soil organic matter) surrounding the pile).

Fire crews on the Williams Ranger District on the Kaibab National Forest will begin igniting large machine piles of slash on Wednesday morning of this week near Garland Prairie about 5 miles south of Interstate 40. The 550 acre "Isham" unit is specifically located north and east of the junction at forest roads 109 & 141 along the southwest side of Scholz Lake.

Fire Managers on the Bradshaw Ranger District plan to continue taking advantage of favorable conditions to continue burning piles at various locations in the Prescott Basin Thursday, Dec. 12 through Friday, Dec. 20.

With the arrival of significant precipitation to the Kaibab Plateau, fire managers on the North Kaibab Ranger District of Kaibab National Forest plan to conduct pile burn operations starting tomorrow and continuing periodically throughout the winter as conditions and staffing allow. The piles are the result of mechanical thinning projects designed to help forest restoration efforts, and the goal of burning them is to further reduce fuels that could feed high-intensity wildfire.

Fire managers on the Bradshaw Ranger District plan to burn on Wednesday, November 13th through Friday, November 15th.  All burning will be dependent on appropriate current and expected weather conditions to achieve the desires fire effects. Fire managers plan to complete only one of the two burns listed below and will determine on Tuesday which burn will occur. While daytime wind direction is difficult to predict at this time, night time and early morning smoke impacts are expected to occur in low lying areas which will include Prescott, Thumb Butte, Copper Basin, Groom Creek and Walker.

As the weather continually changes this time of year, Coconino National Forest firefighters make plans to conduct prescribed burns and also alternate plans to focus on burns at locations where weather changes may help mitigate smoke impacts.

Fire crews have successfully treated 8152 acres of forested landscape over the past 4 days bringing the Elk / Lee Prescribed Fire Project to full completion.

Coconino National Forest firefighters were planning to conduct prescribed burns today near the Fort Valley area and other areas north of Flagstaff later during the week, but those plans have been cancelled today due to unhealthy smoke impacts in Flagstaff and predicted northerly winds.

Wildland firefighters are responding with ground crews and multiple engines to a wildfire in the Schultz Pass between Mt. Elden and the San Francisco Peaks.

The Hill Fire, last reported at 2 acres and growing, was reported just after 3 p.m. today by members of the public who called in a smoke report.

Smoke will be visible from Flagstaff and other local communities. The public should use extreme caution when driving on U.S. Highway 180 north of Flagstaff as firefighting vehicles and personnel will be using the highway to respond.