Updated at 11:49 a.m. MDT May 10, 2021
The Type 1 Incident Management Team that assumed command of the Tussock Fire southwest of Crown King, Arizona at 6 a.m. Monday provided additional information, confirming the fire was still mapped at 3,500 acres.
(Click here to see which areas will be affected by smoke from the fire on Monday and Tuesday.)
“The fire actively moved up hill yesterday with the dry windy conditions,” the update said. “Challenges the team will be assessing include the rugged topography and the alignment of drainages combined with anticipated weather. Additional resources and personnel are arriving to assist with the firefighting effort.”
Approximately 226 personnel are assigned to the fire.
Updated 9:17 a.m. MDT May 10, 2021
The Incident Management Team (IMT) on the Tussock Fire five miles southwest of Crown King, Arizona is not releasing much information. At 11:35 p.m. on May 9 evacuations were in effect for Minnehaha, Fort Misery, and Horse Thief Basin. Crown King is now at SET and residents should begin preparing in the event an evacuation order is issued.
The map above shows the proximity to Crown King; scroll down to see maps showing broader areas.
Sunday night the IMT reported that no structures were immediately threatened at that time and the fire had burned 3,500 acres.
1:15 p.m. MDT May 9, 2021
Since the Tussock Fire started during the afternoon of May 8, it has burned 2,448 acres 6 miles southwest of Crown King, Arizona and has spread onto the Prescott National Forest. Due to very dry fuel and weather conditions a Type 1 Incident Management Team has been ordered to assist with management of the incident.
The fire is between Phoenix and Prescott, 27 air miles northwest of the suburbs of Phoenix. (See the map above)
This all coming after your FS Chief says she has enough resources ! What a sham !
Holly, that’s why smokejumpers are used for initial attack and or on remote, less accessible, fires.
Yes, I have 25 years of firefighting experience and seven years on Type I Teams in key positions.
Think of the jumpers as a “quick reactionary force,” or to use military lingo QRFs.
These are highly trained and skilled firefighters and are greatly underutilized by the US Forest Service. Their lack of use in 2020 during the massive fires is truly embarrassing for the agency.
Their best use in right at the start of a fire. Now that the Tussock Fire has grown so large, and will get even larger, an entirely different strategy will be used by the Type I team being brought in.
SJ certainly have their place, but not in the desert SW. First of all, the closest available are in Silver City, NM and have been used there for a long time, where they are a big help on fires where there are typically not a lot of aerial resources assigned. In the desert SW, there is usually an Air Attack, several air tankers and multiple helicopters responding to emerging fires that tend to grow quickly, so SJ would only tie up the airspace and only provide a small number of personnel. The Tussock fire spread rapidly, so not much anyone could do about that. If I’m on a 2-200 acre fire in the Gila Wilderness, then I’m definitely ordering SJ. If I’m on 2-200 acre fire growing rapidly in brush, with the potential to threaten a community, I’m calling for every air tanker and helicopter available, as well as ground resources. My 2 cents worth.
Jeff…you nailed it.
Younger I.C’s learn the hard way about getting their airspace tied up for a load of jumpers plus gear. Jump them off fire and have em ground transported.
Years ago on a fire down in Homer, the I.C. had the load land at the airport….the local senior service center used their vans (placarded as such) to get them out to the fire…
Ted,
I was there for the IA 150 acres to 1,000 acres in 2 hrs. We here in the Southwest are in a severe drought if you haven’t noticed. You are right about the roads it takes approx 1.5 hrs to reach the heal of the fire from pavement. The IC understood the risk of putting firefighters on the line in fuel that is continuous. If you knew anything about haul charts Flame lengths over 4 feet tall should be handled by equipment and aircraft. Oh by the way it’s 80-100% slope so I guess equipment is out of the picture, so that leaves aircraft. If some one got hurt the only way out is by air and with your 25 years of experience on teams in key positions you would know we never rely on just aircraft because why?…..they go away! We experienced extreme rates of spread and at times fire intensity was to much for aircraft. Smoke jumpers and just firefighters that jump out of planes. They have the same training and experience as the IC and Hotshots on the ground. Just because they jump out of planes doesn’t make them fire gods. They are human just like the folks in the ground. I have been doing this job for 20 years. So please TED if you feel the way we approach fire here in the Southwest is wrong, Please AD up and come teach us! Sorry I have to get back on the line….enjoy your AC and Lazy Boy! ?
Thank you senor,
You didn’t knee jerk, you accessed the best you could with limited info. I’m sure the IC is behind the curve ( as usuall) doing what he can. Acceptable risk, Stage and plan , watch the WX and Topo, and know your enemy. Let ‘em work. Then learn and talk through.
The same IMT that managed the Horse Fire from last year is managing the Tussock Fire. Lots of old burns in the area. Inaccessible, but with some dirt roads out to the NE. As long as the wind holds off, they should be able to pick it up ?. Lots of ground and air resources available. I’m sure Doris has seen her fair share of fire in the area!
Fire Fighters in the Sky
That old fire-devil went riding out
One hot, dry, windy day
As he rode he burnt and destroyed
All habitat in his way
But hero’s came in
Big silver planes
And blew that beast away
Thankyou Fire Fighters in the Sky
Thankyou Fire Fighters in the Sky
(Get my Drift?) songwriter DDR
❤️
I live in Crown King. Thankyou to all you Fire Fighters, my Heroes! Jesus watch your backs as I pray for You! No this is not an area for ground troops! If you don’t believe me, come to Crown King and we’ll Go for a Short Ride!!!?
No discussion on personnel?
No use of smokejumpers? [Roads are very limited in the area and all are dirt or ORV-type at best.]
Can’t effectively use airtankers without ground troops to take advantage of the retardant.
Is this yet another example of “managing a fire” vs putting it out before its 5000 acres, then 10,000 acres and the “public” through various State & federal agencies, spend millions of our dollars? All of this as our weather gets hotter as we enter summer.
They should have been all over this fire in that area……last night and all night.
Some of us are getting pretty darn upset over sloppy fire suppression in our area; and we know what we’re talking about.
Right. Get those GS3s in a line and hiking up there! Damn them if they complain about minimal labor protections, 13$/hr with no off season medical benefits, decaying facilities where they live (maybe) and work!
Ted, are you trying to troll us? Because everything you just said shows how you know nothing about fire suppression.
Your first point about jumpers: That is steep inaccessible country in brush fuels. You would need to drop 60 plus jumpers to work a thousand acres. Dropping these jumpers would also take hours to drop on the fire, shutting down all other air resources, which means no retardant getting put on the fire. And more than likely there were no jump spots on that brushy hill. Nor does any jump base exist in the lower 48 exist with 60 jumpers, most of their planes can only take 8 at a time. Furthermore jumpers are for attacking small fires, not large fires that grew 2,000 acres over two days. Nor should you put any firefighters in unanchored fireline, unless you want another Yarnell. Additionally, there is nothing in that inaccessible country worth protecting. Unless you think firefighters are expendable. And nothing like armchair quarterbacking when your butt is hiking up the hill with 40-50 pounds of gear.
And I could go on and rip apart everything you said but I gotta go to work, its Fire season …. but what I think what you meant to say is “Thank you firefighters for all that you do. Sure glad we have folks that respond to these uncontrollable fires.”
Thank you Senor, I was about to amp myself up for writing a very similar response, but you put it very well.
THANK YOU TO ALL FIREFIGHTERS! Please safe out there, your in our prayers!!!
Senor Gumby,
Your two-part comment deserves some responses: “Nor should you put any firefighters in unanchored fireline, unless you want another Yarnell.” I have a few years as a wildland firefighter.
Number one, WFs and FFs are placed in “unanchored fireline” on every wildfire, every time. And there is even a Watch Out Situation addressing it. Watch Out no. Eight clearly states: “8. Constructing line without safe anchor point.”
The Watch Outs are basically guidelines; things you experience on every fire and need to know, recognize, and mitigate, and either stay engaged or disengage. It’s a regular part of wildland firefighting.
The more critical one is Number two, “unless you want another Yarnell.” Senor, there is far more than unanchored fireline that contributed to that disaster.
In spite of the Serious Accident Invetigation Team (SAIT) Report’s (SAIR) conclusion, there were numerous causal factors contributing to just about everything related to that fire on June 30, 2013. The SAIT found that “the judgments and decisions of the incident management organizations managing this fire were reasonable,” and uncovered “no indication of negligence, reckless actions, or violations or policy or protocol.”
So then – in the positive, how is it possible to do everything right and 19 wildland FFs die in one fell swoop?
Please research the many “other sources” on that epic tragedy wildfire. And study the 10 and 18 and re-evaluate things. ( https://www.nwcg.gov/publications/pms118 )
“The 18 Watch Out Situations are more specific and cautionary, describing situations that expand the 10 Standard Firefighting Orders with the intent that if firefighters follow the Standard Firefighting Orders and are alerted to the 18 Watch Out Situations, much of the risk of firefighting can be reduced.” NWCG
They work and are responsible for saving tens of thousands of WFs and FFs lives every fire season.
Well spoken fred…long for the good one days…
Once a hotshot…
Always a hotshot…
https://www.accuweather.com/en/us/crown-king/86343/weather-forecast/341785
No major wind on the Accuweather page, for Crown King AZ.
Airnow.gov will show you the plume.
Does anyone make a fire map that shows a satellite photo of which way the smoke is moving?
Airnow.gov will show you the plume.