Williams Ranger District

Persistent wet weather has presented favorable opportunities for fire crews to continue burning piles at numerous locations across the Kaibab National Forest. Fire personnel on the Williams Ranger District will be moving to an area known has Kaufman Springs today approximately 4 miles north of the community of Parks to continue with operations.

Fire managers plan to burn piles on the Tusayan and Williams ranger districts of the Kaibab National Forest starting tomorrow and continuing through next week, as conditions allow. The piles are the result of forest restoration efforts, and the goal of burning them is to further reduce fuels that could feed high-intensity wildfire.

Tusayan Ranger District

Fuels reduction efforts will be continuing on both the Williams and Tusayan Ranger Districts beginning Friday (11/9/2018) of this week. Both districts will be conducting broadcast burns that could extend over the next several days as environmental and weather conditions permit.

The 12,000 acre Sunflower Prescribed Fire Project located approximately 8 miles southeast of Williams has been ongoing over the past year with nearly 7000 acres successfully treated to date. Aerial ignitions will continue as crews work toward completing the remaining 5000 acres on this project.

A new lightning caused wildfire that was discovered on August 25 on the Williams Ranger District will be allowed to move naturally to benefit the landscape. The 5 acre Perkins Fire is located approximately 2 miles southwest of White Horse Lake and is burning slowly in grass, ponderosa pine and oak litter near the junction of forest roads 109 and 110.

The Bald Fire located on the south face of Sitgreaves Mountain on the Williams Ranger District of the Kaibab National Forest has grown to 85 acres and continues to meet forest health objectives.

The Bald Fire is continuing to grow at a moderate pace moving down slope to the southwest with very favorable fire effects. Burning for just over two weeks, the fire is currently backing off the higher terrain with one to two foot flame lengths consuming dead and down fuels scattered across the surface left behind from the 2014 Sitgreaves fire.

Thunderstorm outflows with shifting wind patterns are fanning flames and influencing growth on the Bald Fire located on Sitgreaves Mountain on the Williams Ranger District of the Kaibab National Forest.

A new lightning-caused wildfire has ignited on the Williams Ranger District on the south side of Sitgreaves Mountain. It is currently burning in steep terrain within the 2014 Sitgreaves wildfire burn scar.

The Bald Fire is currently burning in ponderosa pine and does have the potential to expand over the next several days as monsoon moisture is forecasted to temporarily subside. An engine crew was on scene the day of discovery on July 22 and will continue to monitor fire behavior daily taking appropriate actions as necessary.

The Kaibab National Forest has implemented a temporary closure of Forest Road 149 near Kendrick Mountain on the Williams Ranger District due to safety concerns related to the active monsoon season.

Forest Road 149, which is located in the far northeastern corner of the Williams Ranger District just east of Pumpkin Center, accesses the Pumpkin Trailhead on Kendrick Mountain. Due to the risk of flooding and the associated public safety concerns, the road has been temporarily closed and will remain so until monsoon conditions subside.

Fire managers on the Williams Ranger District will take advantage of the recent widespread rain that has delivered adequate moisture to the area and will burn two small areas of slash piles on Friday of this week.

Due to increasing fire danger with warmer and dryer weather conditions in the immediate forecast, the Kaibab National Forest will issue a temporary closure for the Bill Williams Mountain watershed area beginning Fridayand continuing until the area receives significant precipitation.