Incident Type: Wildfire
Cause: Human caused
Date of Origin: Sat, 07/01/2023 – 11:18
Location: 20 miles east of Wikieup; Mohon Mountains
Incident Commander: Darrell Willis, Type 3 IC, Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management
Total Personnel: 134
Size: 34,778 Acres
Percent of Perimeter Contained: 88%
Fuels Involved: Grass and Pinyon-juniper
Friday, crews were able to secure additional line and have containment at 88%. All lines are holding in the wind and there is little to no heat remaining within the interior of the fire. Proactive fuels work was completed near infrastructure and cow camps outside of the fire area, primarily along the northeast and southwest sides. All hand crews and engines will be released tomorrow morning, but aircraft remains assigned to the incident and will be used for monitoring and reconnaissance along with satellite-based mapping programs. The fire is located within remote and rugged terrain of the Mohon Mountains, in a sparsely populated area with significant fire history. Monsoon activity, including increased relative humidity levels and precipitation will assist with full containment efforts. On Thursday, the fire was mapped at 34,778 acres and fire operations reports it continues to stay within its footprint.
The human-caused Pilot Fire started Saturday, July 1, around 11 am near the O RO Ranch, approximately 20 miles east of the town of Wikieup in Yavapai County. That afternoon, the terrain-driven fire made a run up Pilot Knob and produced a highly visible smoke column noticeable to residents as far away as Kingman.
Department of Forestry and Fire Management Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/arizonaforestry
Department of Forestry and Fire Management Twitter: https://twitter.com/azstateforestry
