The Cottonwood Ridge Fire stayed within the established firelines. Minimal smoke remains and firefighters were able to reinforce firelines, gaining 30% containment on the eastern edge of the fire. Saturday, firefighters will continue to construct and improve firelines working their way around the northern side of the fire, unless isolated thunderstorm activity forces firefighters to move away from the fire edge until the storm passes. Work to secure the south/southwest side of the fire will also continue.
Weather: Temperatures on Saturday will remain in the 90s on the Cottonwood Ridge Fire and could reach 100 near the Spoon Fire. Thunderstorms, which brings gusty winds, remain in the forecast, along with a chance of afternoon/evening rain.
Restrictions: There are several fire restrictions in place depending on location.
Evacuations: None. Residents and visitors should take time to become familiar with the Ready, Set, Go evacuation model. These steps help you to be READY in the event of an emergency by preparing now. Additionally, sign up for the Navajo County Alert System at https://tinyurl.com/y4vwrasw.
Closures: Highway 60 remains open. The southwest portion of Fort Apache is closed, including all Salt River sites within the closure area.
Smoke: Highway 60 will be impacted by smoke as the Spoon Fire continues to progress. Larger columns of smoke are more likely in the afternoon/evening. Please use caution when traveling along smokey roadways. For information on smoke and air quality visit https://www.airnow.gov.
Fire details:
Official fire information:
Inciweb:
Cottonwood Ridge: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident-information/azfta-cottonwood-ridge-fire
Spoon: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident-information/azfta-spoon-fire
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