wildfire

The Southwest Area Incident Management Team 2 will transition the Horse Fire back to the Prescott National Forest on Monday, October 26, 2020.  This will be the final update from the Southwest Team 2; further updates and information on the Horse Fire will be provided by the Prescott National Forest.  
  
A smaller number of firefighters and engines remain to work with the Forest in its on-going operations to monitor the Horse Fire. Heavy equipment is still being used to improve FSR 58 and FSR 52, and crews are chipping downed trees and clearing vegetation.  
 

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.   

There has been significant progress in the suppression of the Horse Fire. With 49% containment, the western perimeter is secure. Crews successfully extinguished all heat sources on the southern tip and southeastern area.  Heavy equipment is being used to improve FSR 58 and FSR52, making it accessible to emergency vehicles.  There is no new growth or movement of the fire. 

The Cow Canyon Fire is being managed with preference for a full suppression strategy and point protection when needed. Point protection involves identifying values at risk and deploying specific tactics to safeguard them from being impacted by the fire.

Fire information:

Management of the Sears Fire will transition back to the Cave Creek Ranger District at 6 p.m., Sunday evening. This will be the final news update unless there are significant changes in fire activity. The fire remains at 14,476 acres and is 60 percent contained.

Residents and visitors to the area may see occasional smoke over the next several days as interior pockets of vegetation continue to burn within the fire perimeter. Large ash whirls (similar to dust devils) are frequently seen within the burned area as well.

The Cow Canyon Fire is burning in a remote location within the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests’ Blue Range Primitive Area near the Arizona and New Mexico state border.

The Cow Canyon Fire was ignited by lightning on August 18, 2020 on the Alpine Ranger District on the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests. It is burning in steep, rugged terrain with limited access, and is in a remote location within the Blue Range Primitive Area near the Arizona and New Mexico state border.

Fire Information:

An area closure is still in effect to protect the public along with firefighters as they continue to patrol, monitor and mop up hotspots along the perimeter of the Sears Fire. The fire remains at 14,476 acres and is now 60 percent contained.

EVENING UPDATE: Sears Fire - Oct. 1

Firefighters continue to patrol, monitor and mop up hotspots along the perimeter of the Sears Fire. The fire remains at 14,476 acres and is now 48 percent contained. Higher temperatures today caused an increase in fire activity which resulted in an unburned pocket of vegetation to ignite within the fire’s interior, however there was no threat of it spotting over containment lines.

There was minimal activity on the Sears Fire today as firefighters focused on monitoring and patrolling firelines along the perimeter. The fire remains at 14,476 acres and is now 45 percent contained.

Firefighters continued to patrol and monitor the west perimeter along Seven Springs Road to the Deer Flat drainage near NFSR 1099 and on the east perimeter along Horseshoe Road. Road grading operations has begun on Horseshoe Road to repair impacts from firefighting response vehicles.