Tucson

Fire crews will begin burning wood piles from forest thinning on Mt. Lemmon February 11 through 15, weather permitting.

Burning will occur along the Catalina Highway, and in Marshall Gulch, Sabino Work Center, Summerhaven and Whitetail Campground. Approximately 100 acres will be burned.

“This project is intended to reduce hazardous fuels adjacent to local communities,” said Santa Catalina District Ranger Charles Woodard. “It’s part of an ongoing fuels reduction project to reduce the threat of wildfire.”

Fire managers at Saguaro National Park plan to conduct a prescribed burn on Mica Mountain in the Saguaro Wilderness of the Rincon Mountain District (Saguaro East) this fall when conditions are favorable. The prescribed burn is currently planned for mid-late October.

The Southern Arizona Chapter of the American Red Cross has deployed 3 local volunteers to assist with the fatal bus crash that occurred Thursday afternoon near Gallup, New Mexico. A team of Red Cross volunteers from the New Mexico Chapter and Phoenix Chapter arrived on the scene yesterday. They will join more than 20 Red Cross volunteers who are already deployed to New Mexico.

The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) is issuing a High Pollution Advisory (HPA) for ozone in the Tucson area, effective Aug. 4. This HPA is due to levels expected to exceed the federal health standard for ozone.

The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) is issuing a High Pollution Advisory (HPA) for ozone in the Tucson area, effective Aug. 3. This HPA is due to levels expected to exceed the federal health standard for ozone.

The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) is issuing a High Pollution Advisory (HPA) for ozone in the Tucson area, effective June 21 and 22, 2018. This HPA is due to levels expected to exceed the federal health standard for ozone.

The Southern Arizona Chapter of the American Red Cross has opened a cooling center due to a power outage at Desert Sun Mobile Home Park at 1741 W. Wetmore Rd. Tucson, Az..

The cooling center is at Ellie Towne Flowing Wells Community Center at 1660 W. Ruthrauff Rd., Tucson, 85705 and will be open to provide a respite from the heat.

Currently, there are nearly 25 mobile homes without power and air conditioning, which is impacting 20-25 families and 30-40 kids, according to the Red Cross.

Coronado National Forest and the Arizona Game and Fish Department remind outdoor recreationists that the onset of summer means changed conditions across the Forest.

Officials note that as temperatures warm, vegetation is greening up and water is becoming scarce on the 16 “Sky Island” mountain ranges that compose the Coronado.  As a result, wildlife movements and patterns are altered, a change which requires renewed situational awareness by outdoor enthusiasts.

The Nogales Ranger District of the Coronado National Forest expects to conduct the Gardner Prescribed Fire as early as April 9, 2018. The project area consists of National Forest System lands in the southeastern portion of the Santa Rita Mountains in southeastern Arizona.

The burn area boundaries lie between Gardner Canyon on the north and Hog Canyon on the south. Fire managers expect to complete burning while environmental and fuels conditions remain favorable for manageable fire activity.

As the Safford Ranger District of the Coronado National Forest continues work on the Little Bull Prescribed Fire, a closure is now in effect to provide for public safety while prescribed burning is conducted place within the project area.