wildfire

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.

Firefighters continued to hold and improve firelines around the perimeter of the Sears Fire today. Currently, the fire is 14,476 acres with 30 percent containment.

Operations included the mop up and patrol of firelines along the west perimeter of Seven Springs Road in the Deer Creek drainage and at Humboldt Lookout. Fire crews are in place to monitor and protect critical infrastructure on Humboldt Lookout and are closely monitoring structures in the Camp Creek recreation residences.

Firefighters conducted burnouts today between Seven Springs Road (NFSR 24) and the Red Rover Mine to prevent spreading of the Sears Fire to the west. Currently, the fire is 14,241 acres with 15 percent containment.

Mop up and monitoring of the fire’s southern perimeter continues, and burnouts are being conducted as needed to secure the eastern perimeter of the fire around Horseshoe Road. The public should expect increased smoke during burnout operations.

Last night, firefighters focused their suppression efforts on the eastern perimeter of the Sears Fire where the fire is most active. Currently, the fire is 12,474 acres with 0 percent containment.

Overnight, firefighters burned out 15 acres on the south side of Humboldt Mountain while on the eastern perimeter, a small spot fire occurred across Horseshoe Road near the Verde River, but firefighters were able to contain it.