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Arizona Wildfires – Update for June 27, 2021

Rock Butte Fires

The five fires being managed by the Arizona Central West Zone Type 3 Incident Management team are the following from north to south:

  •  Red Hat Fire – 49 acres – 100% containment
  • Limestone Fire – 33 acres – 100% containment
  • Spring Fire – 567 acres – 75% containment
  • Rock Butte Fire – 126 acres – 56% containment
  • Silent Fire – 27 acre – 100% containment

Location: North of Paulden, AZ and west of HWY 89

 RESOURCES:

98 Personnel

  • 4 Engines
  • 2 Crews
  • 1 Dozers
  • 2 Water tenders

All five fires in the Rock Butte Fires showed minimal activity yesterday. The Limestone, Red Hat and Silent fires are 100% contained and both the Spring and Rock Butte fires are more than 50% contained.  Today crews will continue to monitor and patrol the fires.

The Arizona Central West Zone Type 3 Incident Management Team led by Incident Commander Ryan Barela is preparing to transition management of the Rock Butte Fires to the Prescott National Forest Type 4 Incident Management Team.

 The Arizona Central West Zone Type 3 Team would like to extend their sincere gratitude to the community of Paulden, Central Arizona Fire and Medical Authority, Arizona Department of Transportation, Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office, Yavapai County Emergency Management, Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management, Arizona Game and Fish Department, and the Prescott National Forest for their support during the Rock Butte Fires Incident.

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Rafael Fire

  • Acres: 53,664
  • Percent Containment: 11%
  • Date/Time Detected: Friday, 06/18/2021 at 1927 MST
  •  Structures Damaged/Destroyed: 0
    Number of Personnel: 664
  • Cause: Lightning
  • Origin/Location: 4 miles north of Perkinsville

Crews completed the firing operation today down FR 538 to the edge of Sycamore Canyon. Crews mopped up and patrolled yesterday’s firing operation from the Boy Scout Camp to the intersection of FR 527 and FR 538. Firefighters continued yesterday’s burnout, bringing fire south from the Sycamore Falls Climbing Area to White Horse Lake and south toward JD Dam and continued the line preparation from Pine Flat to Sycamore Point. All of the burning activity is designed to stop fire growth towards the values at risk in the I-40 corridor from Williams to Flagstaff and is also the safest way for our firefighters to suppress the fire that is burning in the steep canyon country of Sycamore Canyon. Crews were able to construct handline at the edge of the Mogollon Rim in Mooney Canyon to check fire spread towards Sedona. Aerial ignition with a helicopter and Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (drone) were used to back fire down into Sycamore Canyon to minimize fire effects to soils and vegetation on the steep slopes of Sycamore Canyon.  Burning operations are expected to continue for the next few days as long as weather conditions allow.  Consequently, smoke is expected to be more noticeable the next few days. Smoke may settle in low lying areas, such as Verde and Prescott Valleys, and will lift by late morning. Smoke columns will be visible throughout the day as burning operations continue. Smoke forecasts are available at Wildfire Smoke Forecast | ADEQ Arizona Department  of Environmental Quality (azdeq.gov) and https://fires.airfire.org/outlooks/NorthCentralArizona

The smoke everyone was smelling this morning was from the Rafael Fire.

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Backbone Fire

  • Acres: 40,855 acres
  • Percent Containment: 35%
  • Start Date: June 16, 2021
  • Cause: Lightning
  • Origin Location: Approximately 12 miles west of Pine and Strawberry, Arizona 
  • Personnel Assigned: 697

This evening the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office and the Camp Verde Marshal’s Office announced that Beasley Flats and Verde Lakes are no longer in a “Ready” status.  Residents are encouraged to continue to follow fire information.  Crews on the fire were able to get to the fire’s edge and construct direct line in a number of locations.  Aircraft continue to support ground crews as needed.  On the east side of the fire, crews continued work on a direct fire line on Deadman Mesa and Hardscrabble Canyon.  They also began constructing direct line in Fossil Creek.  Today crews began removing water handling equipment around Strawberry and Pine.  The fire continues to remain on the east side of the Verde River.

Public Land Closures: Because of the extreme fire danger, many of the National Forests in Arizona have been closed to protect public health and safety. Please check the website for your specific National Forest for closure notifications.

Road Closures: State Route 260 is closed between Camp Verde and State Route 87. State Route 87 is closed at mile post 270 north of Payson to Clints Well. Motorists are advised to visit https://www.az511.com for current road closures.

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West Chev Fire

  • Start Date: Saturday, June 19, 2021
  • Acres: 1,036 acres
  • Cause: Lightning
  • Location: 12.5 miles northwest of Heber, AZ
  • West Chev:  28%

Forest Road 504 is open to residents and property owners. Drivers are asked to drive slowly and remain alert for increased fire-related traffic on this route.

Overview: Imagery from an IR (infrared) flight overnight shows isolated pockets of heat on the two fires, and some increase in the size of the West Chev Fire. Fire behavior yesterday was moderate.

Heat sources remain along portions of the perimeters of both fires but continue to decline. Drought stressed trees and brush can accelerate the return of active fire behavior quickly. Firefighters will aggressively attack any flare-ups close to containment lines. Helicopters and air tankers are available to support ground resources.

Fire Update: West Chev:  Yesterday, firefighters constructed more fireline and conducted firing operations to remove fuel between the fire and containment lines. The West Chev Fire has been burning along the ground through pine needles, and firefighters fired out to 169B to secure the northwest flank.

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Walnut Fire

  • Location: Texas Canyon-area
  • Cause: Lightning
  • Percent Contained: 33%
  • Date Reported: June 20, 2021
  • Size: 10,081acres

The lightning-caused Walnut Fire, burning in Little Dragoon Mountain since June 20, has grown to 10,081acres, with 176 personnel assigned.

Fire behavior continues to be active, mainly within the interior, and will likely continue to produce heat until the area receives considerable rain. The north end of the fire continues to burn unconsumed fuels, producing smoke likely visible from I-10, Willcox, and Benson. Firefighters are aware and have developed a strategic plan of attack to safely access the fire once it reaches flatter terrain. Today, crews will continue monitoring the fire and strengthening containment lines as needed. Crews and equipment will continue to be released from the fire as fire activity has drastically decreased.

 

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