Firefighters completed roughly 4,000 acres of ignitions today on the Basin Fire, a lightning-caused wildfire located 20 miles northwest of Flagstaff, that is being actively managed to improve forest health.

A closure order for the area surrounding the Basin Fire has been issued for public and firefighter safety.

Active management of the Basin Fire, a lightning-caused wildfire located 20 miles northwest of Flagstaff, will begin tomorrow.

Fire Managers on the Verde Ranger District plan to conduct a prescribed fire operation in the Agua Fria area this week. The project is located between Dugas Road and HWY 169 on the east side of I-17. (See attached map).   Ignitions are planned to start Wednesday, April 30 and last just one day, pending suitable conditions. Fire crews plan to treat a large surface area with broadcast burning to improve wildlife habitat and range improvements by reducing brush encroachment in the Aqua Fria grasslands.  

Fire managers on the Prescott National Forest, Bradshaw Ranger District plan to burn piles of debris in and around the Prescott Basin. Ignitions are planned to start on Friday, March 7, and continue through March 31 as favorable weather conditions allow. Fire managers expect smoke impacts to be light and visible from multiple locations including Prescott, Chino Valley, and surrounding areas.

Coconino National Forest fire managers with the Flagstaff Ranger District plan to conduct pile burns today and tomorrow in several areas around the forest to take advantage of favorable weather conditions.

The piles to be burned are leftover slash from previous thinning projects and are ignited using drip torches and carefully monitored. Burning these piles help remove forest fuels and reduce the chance of catastrophic wildfire.

The recent moisture across the state provides an opportunity for the Arizona Department of Forestry and
Fire Management (DFFM) to begin two prescribed fire projects on Tuesday, February 4, 2025. The projects include a pile burn operation east of Flagstaff and a broadcast burn southwest of Buckeye. In total, project managers plan to treat approximately 30 acres and each project should take one day to complete.

Fire managers plan to continue prescribed fire operations on the Lakeside Ranger District of the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests between January 30 through January 31, 2025, as weather and vegetation conditions allow for successful operations.

The Lewis Canyon prescribed fire piles project is 2 acres of piles located directly south of Pinedale, Arizona in the Lewis Canyon Campground on Forest Road 130.

Fire managers plan to continue prescribed fire operations on the Lakeside Ranger District of the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests beginning January 22 through February 7, 2025, as weather and vegetation conditions allow for successful operations. Implementation of the Bear burn unit was previously scheduled for the week of December 16, 2024, but was postponed due to the Forests’ response to the Horton Fire.

Fire managers plan to continue prescribed fire operations on the Lakeside Ranger District of the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests beginning December 16 through December 20, 2024, as weather and vegetation conditions allow for successful operations.

Fire managers are expecting to conduct a prescribed fire operation on the North Kaibab Ranger District this week. The Telephone Hill Unit is located approximately 14 miles south of Jacob Lake adjacent to State Route 67, which has closed for the winter season. Fire Managers are focusing ignition around the Pleasant Valley Cabin area of the unit to reduce hazardous fuel loads around the cabin and State Route 67 corridor, the operation is expected to affect about 700 acres in that vicinity.