Forest Service is managing a 7,000-acre wildfire south of Prescott, Arizona

Cellar Fire Arizona — The Cellar Fire in Arizona. July 16, 2019. USFS photo.

A wildfire 10 miles southwest of Mayer, Arizona (see the map below) has burned about 7,000 acres in the Prescott National Forest. According to the National Situation Report the agency is not intending to fully suppress the fire, but instead is managing it to enhance the natural resources. They will take action as needed to herd it around or protect values at risk.

Map showing location Cellar Fire Arizona — Map showing the location of the Cellar Fire 16 miles south of Prescott, Arizona. The red dot represent heat detected by a satellite at 2:39 p.m. MDT July 17, 2019.

Believed to have been started by lightning, it was reported on July 14 burning in grass and brush but is spreading northeast into ponderosa pine west of the Senator Highway (FR 52).

A Type 1 Incident Management Team is expected to assume command of the fire Thursday, July 18 at 6:00 am.

As a precaution the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office issued a Code Red for the community of Pine Flat. The ‘SET’ alert was issued last night by the Sheriff’s Department. There are NO evacuations currently in effect. For information on the Code Red issued call (928) 771-3321.

The US Forest Service and the Air Tanker Base at Prescott Regional Airport expects heavy aircraft activity out of airport over the next couple of days as they continue to assist with the fire.

Author: Bill Gabbert

After working full time in wildland fire for 33 years, he continues to learn, and strives to be a Student of Fire. View all posts by Bill Gabbert

4 thoughts on “Forest Service is managing a 7,000-acre wildfire south of Prescott, Arizona”

Complicated, for sure. To manage a fire to accomplish multiple objectives (usually using a combination of suppression strategies), or suppressing a fire using aggressive initial attack. The choice is dependent on multiple factors. One thing is certain, those areas will flood, it just depends on how bad.

Which is better, fire or flood?

The Tonto NF “managed” to burn up most of the Superstition Wilderness earlier this year. Now the communities surrounding that burn are at risk of flooding when the monsoon rains show up.