Governor Ducey has issued a statewide Declaration of Emergency, including putting in place a curfew starting at 8:00 p.m. on Sunday, May 31. Click here for more information.
Over the next few days, firefighters on the Sawtooth Fire will begin back burning operations as part of structure protection and community safety measures in and around the northeast portion of Queen Valley.
To ensure safety, starting at noon today, residents along Silver King Road and Williams Road in Queen Valley will be placed in precautionary GO status as they are being asked to vacate their homes while these suppression operations take place.
Today, the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management, the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office, along with the Town of Cave Creek, began the process of assessing structure damage and preparing plans for a full and safe reentry.
As of 5 pm today, some residents will be allowed to return home. That area includes, Rancho Manana and School House Road. Also, MCSO has reduced the hard closure area, and evacuations will remain in place, for the area north of Spur Crossing and Grapevine and west of 60th Street and Fleming Springs.
Over the weekend, State Route 87 was closed for a couple of hours south of Payson when a brush fire caused by a person broke out along the roadway. While the exact cause isn’t known yet, the 5.5-acre Oak Fire demonstrates why motorists should secure tow chains, properly inflate tires, check brakes and take other steps to reduce the risk of starting a wildfire.
Just one spark can cause all kinds of problems.
In addition to putting lives and property at risk, fires that spread quickly in dry brush can lead to highway closures and inconvenience for motorists.
Seasonal fire restrictions are now in place at Lake Mead National Recreation Area. The restrictions are necessary to prevent wildfire during this period of extended drought and increased potential for wildland fires in Arizona and Nevada.
The following acts are prohibited or modified, until further notice:
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service, Southwestern Region is enacting a recreational shooting restriction for the Coronado, Prescott and Tonto National Forests to reduce wildfires and to protect the health and safety of employees and communities.
Fire crews from the Williams Ranger District of the Kaibab National Forest, Sherwood Forest Estates, and Parks Bellemont Fire Departments responded to a wildfire late Tuesday afternoon south of Interstate 40 near the neighborhood of Sherwood Forest Estates east of Williams.
Fire Managers on the Bradshaw Ranger District plan to burn piles located along Walker Road; south of the Lynx Lake Recreation Area to the community of Walker starting on Monday, March 2nd through Friday March 6th; weather conditions permitting. Pile burning helps to reduce hazardous fuels adjacent to the wildland urban interface and increase ecosystem and community resilience.
Coconino County Public Works, in conjunction with the U.S. Forest Service, has ignited the annual green waste burn at the Willard Springs Transfer Station. The burn is located 17 miles south of Flagstaff on the west side of I-17.
The annual green waste burn reduces the existing stockpile of pine needles, tree trimmings and other green waste at the transfer station prior to the 2020 fire season. The burn is expected to smolder until mid-spring and will be monitored by the Mormon Lake Ranger Station, Pinewood Fire Department and the Coconino County Public Works Solid Waste Division.
