News and opinion about wildland fire
Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories Uncategorized1 Comment on Forecast for wildfire smoke, June 20, 2020 Forecast for the distribution of smoke from wildfires Saturday evening
The forecast for the distribution of smoke from wildfires at 7 p.m. MDT Saturday looks rather bleak for areas of Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and Oklahoma.
Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories Wildfire5 Comments on Bighorn Fire north of Tucson grows to 42,798 acres Firefighters have been conducting back burns out ahead of the fire
(Originally published at 10:09 a.m. MDT June 20, 2020)
The Bighorn Fire north of Tucson, Arizona grew by 5,740 acres Friday to bring the total up to 42,798 acres.
Firefighters have been conducting back burns out ahead of the fire which they hope will serve as barriers to fire spread south of the community of Oracle along Old Mount Lemmon Highway near Peppersauce. They have also been constructing firelines on the west side of the Catalina Highway.
(To see all articles on Wildfire Today about the Bighorn Fire including the most recent, click here.)
For information about evacuations in Pima County contact visit pima.gov/bighorn. In Pinal County check the Sheriff’s Office Facebook page.
The map below shows the growth of the Bighorn Fire over a 24-hour period.
Firefighting resources assigned to the fire include 20 hand crews, 64 engines, 18 water tenders, 6 dozers, and 7 helicopters for a total of 894 personnel.
Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories Uncategorized7 Comments on Firefighters making progress on the Bush Fire east of Phoenix The fire has grown to 184,086 acres
(UPDATED at 4:50 p.m. MDT June 22, 2020)
Firefighters are starting to get a pretty good handle on the Bush Fire. The perimeter has not changed in a couple of days and any smoke seen is from previously unburned interior islands or firefighters cleaning up the edges by burnout out to remove fuel that is new the firelines. The latest mapping shows it has burned 184,086 acres.
The Central Fire north of Phoenix east of New River, Arizona spread to the east Sunday to the top of New River Mesa, growing to 4,517 acres according to a mapping flight at 12:08 a.m Monday. More information about that fire is on Wildfire Today.
More photos of the DC-10 on the Central Fire.
(UPDATED at 11:13 a.m. MDT June 20, 2020)
Firefighters on Friday made more progress in tying in the east edge of the Bush Fire along Highway 188 north of Theodore Roosevelt Lake. On Saturday they will be burning along the SR 87 / Beeline Highway to create a buffer for fire backing downslope from the top of Mount Ord. Firefighters are using aerial ignition from helicopters to help slowly back the fire downslope to minimize post-fire impacts in the area.
A fixed wing mapping flight Friday night at 11:33 MDT determined that the fire had burned 174,397 acres, a 24-hour increase of 23,397 acres.
For all articles on Wildfire Today about the Bush Fire northeast of Phoenix including the most recent, click here.
On the southeast side, smoke will also be visible as the fire continues to burn a large pocket of unburned vegetation within the fire’s interior.
Dee Hines, an Information Officer for the Bush Fire, said firefighters are allowing the south edge of the fire north of Apache Lake and the Salt River to naturally back slowly down the hill. Mr. Hines described the terrain as steep, rough, and rocky and the fire behavior as “creeping”.
The wind has moderated over the last couple of days, allowing firefighters to make significant progress on the huge fire. That trend is expected to continue through Tuesday with daytime breezes out of the southwest or west at 5 to 10 mph. But it being the desert, temperatures will be over 100 degrees in the lower elevations with relative humidity in the single digits. And there’s no chance of rain.
Areas that remain under “Go” evacuation notices include Brownsville, Jake’s Corner, Slate Creek, Pioneer Pass, Tonto Basin, Punkin Center, Sunflower, and residents and visitors to Apache Lake.
Firefighting resources assigned to the fire include 19 hand crews, 41 engines, 5 bulldozers, 19 water tenders, and 7 helicopters for a total of 759 personnel.
(Originally published at 8:58 a.m. MDT June 19, 2020)
Over the last few days firefighters on the Bush Fire have dropped back to Highway 188 and initiated backfire and burnout tactics. After the fire made a run several days ago spreading rapidly downhill almost reaching the highway, they began using fire to remove the fuel near the highway allowing the flames to move up and merge with the main fire.
Judging from imagery collected by a fixed wing mapping aircraft and later a satellite at 3:24 a.m. Friday, it appears that they are close to completing that mission, a limited mission, of stopping the portion of the fire along Highway 188 on the east side of the fire. After they get it completely fired out along the highway, then they will need to hold those 28 miles of fireline between Jakes Corner (at the intersection of Highway 188 and 87) and the Lake Theodore Roosevelt dam.
Firefighters will still have two other large sections of the fire to secure: the 15 miles of Highway 87 south of Jakes Corner to Sunflower, and approximately 20 miles along the Salt River and Apache Lake on the south side. If the weather cooperates the piece north of Sunflower should not be very difficult to fire out after the east side is taken care of. The area along the river is very rugged and difficult to access, and there is a chance the fire could ignite spot fires across the river, which would be a whole new ball game in difficult country. The fire has been very active five miles west of Roosevelt near the river.
The fire is 12 miles south of Payson, 17 miles northeast of Mesa, and 28 miles northwest of Globe.
Thursday the fire grew by another 36,134 acres to bring the total up to 151,075 acres according to data collected on the 11:18 p.m. MDT June 18 mapping flight. The firing operations on the north side will add thousands more.
Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories Wildfire7 Comments on Bighorn Fire north of Tucson burns past Mt. Lemmon The fire grew to over 31,000 acres Wednesday
(UPDATED at 12:10 p.m. MDT June 19, 2020)
Thursday’s decreasing winds gave firefighters on the Bighorn Fire somewhat of a break, at least when compared with the difficult conditions on Wednesday that pushed the blaze northeast over Mt. Lemmon. Hand crews and personnel on fire engines were able to make progress, said Operations Section Chief Travis Mayberry.
(To see all articles on Wildfire Today about the Bighorn Fire including the most recent, click here.)
The lower wind speeds Friday could result in smoke being more visible in the communities near the fire. Weather forecasters expect temperatures of around 100 degrees with very low relative humidity.
Thursday night the fire was mapped at 37,058 acres, an increase of 5,850 acres in 24 hours.
Fire managers expect growth to the northeast in Cañada del Oro and Alder Canyons on Friday. Crews working south of Oracle and San Manuel will tie in containment lines today, in preparation for additional firing operations Friday evening. Firefighters on Mt. Lemmon are using an assortment of tools, including controlled burning, to protect the communities along the Catalina Highway.
As the high winds that had been keeping the fire burning on Samaniego Ridge and the top of Ventana Canyon subside, the fire may move downslope at a moderate pace. Firefighters will have to wait to engage some sections of the fire until after it transitions onto less steep terrain.
(Originally published at 1:35 p.m. MDT June 18, 2020)
Since it started June 5 from a lightning strike the Bighorn Fire five miles north of Tucson has been adding less than 4,000 acres every day, until Wednesday when strong winds pushed it past Mt. Lemmon, growing by about 13,000 acres to bring the total up to 31,208 acres.
Firefighting resources assigned to the fire include 15 hand crews, 60 engines, 8 helicopters, 12 water tenders, and 6 dozers.
From the Incident Management Team Thursday morning:
“Today, fire managers anticipate the fire will move towards Charouleau Gap, depending on wind direction and temperatures. Fire crews and air support are in place preparing and widening fire lines for this expected spread of the fire. On Mt. Lemmon, the fire moved through Oracle Ridge and generated spot fires in Stratton Canyon. Expect highly visible smoke as those areas burn together today. Crews working overnight implemented controlled burns along the Catalina Highway corridor. Firing operations will continue today, if necessary, to protect values at risk.
“Air operations including fixed-wing airtankers were up early this morning, dropping water and fire retardant to slow the fire’s spread. Winds will continue to be a factor today, but less so than yesterday. The fire burning in the Ventana Canyon area and along Samaniego Ridge will be monitored by air support today. Minimal downslope backing of the fire is anticipated in that area. Crews will tie together the two containment lines north of the fire perimeter to protect the communities of Oracle and San Manuel.”
Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories Wildfire1 Comment on Firefighters battling the “Bush Fire” on both sides of the Mazatzal Mountains The fire moved across the iconic Four Peaks and has now burned 114,941 acres
(UPDATED at 8:13 a.m. MDT June 18, 2020)
Firefighters on the Bush Fire northeast of Phoenix are fighting fire with fire, removing fuel ahead of the blaze by firing out to keep it from crossing highways and destroying structures.
Wednesday night firing operations were conducted south of Sunflower near Highway 87, near the fire lookout and communication facilities on Mt. Ord (2 miles north of the fire), and along Highway 188 south of Tonto Basin and Punkin Center. Fire is now established along approximately 10 miles of the west side of Highway 188.
For all articles on Wildfire Today about the Bush Fire northeast of Phoenix including the most recent, click here.
About 10 miles north of the fire fire officials are preparing areas around Jake’s Corner near the intersection of Highways 188 and 87 for burning out in order to protect structures.
A fixed wing mapping flight at 11:49 p.m. Wednesday night determined that the Bush Fire had burned 114,941 acres, an increase of over 25,000 acres in 24 hours.
(UPDATED at 7:21 p.m. MDT June 17, 2020)
The Bush Fire east of Phoenix has been very active on Wednesday, chewing up more vegetation on the north, east, and south sides.
Between the time of the fixed wing mapping flight at 11:46 p.m. MDT June 16 and a satellite overflight at 2:30 p.m. June 17 the northernmost point of the blaze moved about three miles to the north-northeast, roughly parallel to Highway 87. During that same time frame the east side spread down the east side of Four Peaks and reached Highway 188. At 2:30 there was fire along approximately four miles of the highway at the north end of Theodore Roosevelt Lake four miles south of Tonto Basin. It is likely that firefighters helped tie in the fire with the highway by burning out, a tactic intended to remove the fuel ahead of the main fire in order to check its spread, preventing it from crossing the road.
Late Wednesday afternoon several large air tankers and helicopters were working on the south side of the fire west of Apache Lake north of the Salt River. This is most likely an attempt to keep the fire from crossing the river and moving into the Tortilla Flat area along Highway 88. If it does cross the river putting this huge fire out becomes much more complicated.
A Type 2 Incident Management Team has been managing the fire, but Wednesday afternoon the Southwest Coordination Center announced that a higher level team, a Type 1 Team, has been ordered with Alan Sinclair as Incident Commander. It has been unusual to have the lesser qualified team on this very large fire for this long as it approaches megafire status, 100,000 acres. Typically in a situation like this the incoming team will not assume command until Thursday or possibly even Friday, depending on how quickly they assemble (except those working remotely) and transition with the existing team members.
(Originally published at 10:07 a.m. MDT June 17, 2020)
The “Bush Fire” east of Phoenix was very active again Tuesday and Tuesday night, spreading to the south, north, and east, moving across the iconic Four Peaks.
The fire spread aggressively north on the east side of Highway 87 to Boulder Pass coming to within two miles of the community of Sunflower.
For all articles on Wildfire Today about the Bush Fire northeast of Phoenix including the most recent, click here.
After a fixed wing aircraft mapping flight at 11:12 p.m. MDT June 16, a satellite overflight at 3 a.m. MDT June 17 revealed that the fire continued to move to the north and east. During that four-hour period satellite data showed that it spread two miles downhill almost reaching Highway 188 at the north end of Theodore Roosevelt Lake.
A Type 2 Incident Management team lead by Incident Commander Mark Bernal is managing the fire which was mapped Tuesday night at 89,058 acres.
Resources assigned to the fire according to the National Situation Report include 14 hand crews, 26 engines, and no helicopters for a total of 541 personnel.
There are no reports of structures being destroyed. Sections of Highways 87, 88, and 188 are closed due to the fire.
Information about evacuations that are in effect can be found at the official Facebook page for the fire.
The weather forecast for the fire area on Wednesday predicts 99 degrees, 8 percent relative humidity, and winds out of the south switching to the southwest in the afternoon at 13 mph gusting to 20 mph.
Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories Wildfire9 Comments on “Bush Fire” northeast of Phoenix spreads east toward Browns Peak The fire was mapped by a fixed wing aircraft Monday night at 64,513 acres, an increase of 28,256 acres in 24 hours
(UPDATED at 6:37 p.m. MDT June 16, 2020)
Tuesday afternoon the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office issued an additional evacuation order, this time for an area on the south side of the Bush Fire — Apache Lake north of Highway 88:
More information about the evacuation can be found at the official Facebook page for the fire.
For all articles on Wildfire Today about the Bush Fire northeast of Phoenix including the most recent, click here.
(UPDATED at 2:26 p.m. MDT June 16, 2020)
Additional evacuations have been ordered for the Bush Fire.
From the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office at about 1:30 p.m. MDT June 16, 2020:
ATTENTION: EVACUATE NOW
A “Go” notice has been issued in the area of Sunflower due to the Bush Wildfire burning along State Route 87. Residents in the Sunflower area should evacuate now. Grab your emergency Go-kit and go to your relocation area or with friends/family.
The Red Cross Evacuation Center has not been set up in Payson at this time. Drive with care and follow the directions of emergency personnel.
Just before the Sheriff’s Office issued the notice above, this was in another message about the new evacuation:
Evacuated residents should proceed north towards Payson. Proceed to the Payson Police Department at 303 N. Beeline Highway, Payson, AZ. 85541. Drive with care and follow the directions of emergency personnel.
More information about the evacuation can be found at the official Facebook page for the fire.
As of Monday night the Bush Fire had burned over 64,000 acres northeast of Phoenix, Arizona.
(Originally published at 8:07 MDT June 16, 2020)
The “Bush Fire” northeast of Phoenix grew substantially Monday adding another 28,256 acres to bring the total to 64,513 acres. All of the growth was on the north and east sides, spreading away from the greater Phoenix area, but moving closer to the communities north of Theodore Roosevelt Lake, including Tonto Basin and Punkin Center.
For all articles on Wildfire Today about the Bush Fire northeast of Phoenix including the most recent, click here.
The fire is in the Tonto National Forest, with much of it within the Four Peaks Wilderness. The blaze has already burned over Boulder Mountain and Pine Mountain, and is close to reaching Brother Peak and Browns Peak, the highest point in the Wilderness at 7,659 feet.
On June 15 the Gila County Health and Emergency Department announced the evacuation of Tonto Basin and Punkin Center from Highway 188 and A-Cross Road to Highway 188 at Rambo Realty. The Sheriff’s office has more information about evacuations on their Facebook page.
A Type 2 Incident Management Team, Southwest Team 5, assumed command of the fire Monday morning.
The fire started June 13 at 2:00 p.m. near the intersection of Bush Highway and Highway 87. The cause listed on InciWeb is “human caused, vehicle fire”.
As of Monday, no structures have been damaged or destroyed.
Hot and dry weather is expected for the next several days with winds out of the Southwest. Tuesday may bring red flag conditions which will cause additional challenges for firefighters.
The Bush Fire has exceeded the size of the fire that for six years held the record for the largest fire in Arizona, the 61,000-acre Lone Fire, also in the Four Peaks Wilderness. It was caused April 27th, 1996 by a party of two campers who left a campfire unattended near Lone Pine Saddle. That record was blown away in 2002 by the 468,638-acre Rodeo-Chediski Fire at Show Low.
