The Horton Fire remains at 898 acres with 15% containment with crews remaining on- scene today to monitor the fire.
Operations: Minimal fire activity was observed across the fire area yesterday, including slow creeping and smoldering conditions with short flame lengths less than 1 foot. Crews patrolled and secured the fireline along Forest Road 300 and Highway 260.
Today, Horton Fire crews will focus on the north and western areas of the fire.
Highlights: The Horton Fire is currently 898 acres with 15% containment. A weather shift is expected through Christmas Day, with cooler temperatures and increased humidity forecasted. Crews will remain on-scene throughout Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
The Horton Fire, currently at 898 acres with 0% containment, continues to burn in steep, rugged terrain on the Mogollon Rim, with crews making progress on containment efforts along Forest Road 300 and the powerline corridor while monitoring fire activity and protecting recreational infrastructure and nearby communities under SET evacuation status.
The Horton wildfire is currently 769 acres with 0% containment. There has been no western fire movement in the past 48 hours above the Highline Trail and the fire is holding along the Forest Road 300 road to Forest Road 9305. All fire activity is east of Horton Spring and in the headwaters of East Fork of Horton Creek drainage.
The Horton Fire is currently 604 acres with 0% containment.
Operations: On Friday, the fire progressed across the top of east Horton drainage below Forest Road 764. Crews conducted firing operations from Forest Road 9305 to Forest Road 9310 to prevent fire from crossing Forest Road 300. Heavy equipment operators also established bulldozer line near Horton Creek to improve access for medical personnel and firefighters working in the Horton trail area.
Firefighters battle steep, rugged terrain as the Horton Fire swells to 500 acres, prompting SET evacuation alerts and an emergency closure in Tonto National Forest.
Highlights: The Horton Fire is currently at 500 acres, 0% containment and 122 personnel.
The saguaro cactus is a centuries-old icon of Arizona’s landscape, having appeared in more movies than actor John Wayne. Placement of the cactus in cartoons such as the “Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote” imprinted the saguaro on generations of impressionable young viewers.
These jolly green giants of the Sonoran Desert reach heights of 40 to 60 feet and can weigh between two and three tons. Saguaros stand as large green pillars atop the dusty landscape, welcoming visitors with open “arms”.
Tonto National Forest firefighters are planning five “pit burns” on the Payson Ranger District beginning in November and continuing through March 2025 as weather and related conditions permit.
The Payson Pits prescribed fire project will remove assorted woody fuels resulting from clearing projects on federal and private lands. The Tonto’s Facebook and ‘X’ (formerly Twitter) social media pages will post specific start dates and projected end times for each prescribed fire.
Tonto National Forest firefighters will begin a 1,200-acre prescribed fire Oct. 28 on the Globe Ranger District near Carol Springs Mountain.
The five-day planned burn will occur 25 miles north of Globe, Arizona, within the Carol Springs south block. It is part of the Tonto’s Timber Camp prescribed fire plan that includes 7,313 acres of National Forest System lands.