The heavy smoke in the Verde Valley on the morning of Thursday, Sept. 26, is drifting northwest from the 15,053-acre West Fire and 3,167-acre Preacher Fire located northwest and northeast of Payson, respectively.
West Fire
The 15,053-acre West Fire is burning on the Payson Ranger District. The lightning-caused wildfire was first reported on Wednesday, Aug. 28. It is currently 51% contained and burning ponderosa pine, mixed conifer and chaparral. There are 165 personnel working to contain the fire.
A local Type 3 Team assumed command of the fire on the afternoon of Wednesday, Sept. 25, and will continue to secure fireline and repair dozer and hand line. Unburned fuels were ignited by aerial ignition inside the perimeter of the fire on Sept. 25, contributing to smoke and ash in neighboring communities.
Crews are also backhauling equipment and fire supplies longer needed. Excavators are working along the east edge of the fire near 646 Road to repair damage, use caution in this area. Fire and flames may be visible during nighttime hours away from the edges of the fire. The fire team is mindful of the evacuation status of Pine and Geronimo Estates residents, and is working to lower it.
Members of the public are asked to avoid the fire area and use caution around fire equipment on the roads.
Smoke from the West Fire may be visible in the surrounding areas for many days. Smoke will linger in lower areas in the morning and rise as temperatures increase during the day and later in the week. Smoke-sensitive individuals and people with respiratory problems or heart disease are encouraged to take precautionary measures. Learn more about smoke impacts on the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality website.
Photo courtesy of T. Davila
The Tonto National Forest has issued a closure for land surrounding the West Fire. This includes the Pine Trailhead.
Pine residents on the east side of SR 87 and east of North Pine Creek Canyon Road are in SET status. Geronimo Estates residents near the West Fire are in SET status. For information on the interactive map of evacuation status, click here.
For the latest news and information about the Tonto National Forest, follow along on Facebook @TontoNationalForest, on Twitter @TontoForest or Instagram @tontonationalforest and on the Tonto National Forest website.
Preacher Fire
The Preacher Fire is a lightning-caused wildfire that is burning four miles northeast of Pine. The fire is being managed under a confine and contain strategy with the goal of protecting private lands and the communities of Tonto Village, Thompson Draw, Diamond Point Summer Homes and Diamond Point Estates, while reintroducing fire into a fire dependent ecosystem.
Photo courtesy of C Martin
The intended result is to reduce hazardous fuels, improve watershed conditions and wildlife habitat. This will decrease accumulations of fuels and the potential for future fires to burn with high severity that may be more difficult to suppress.
The fire is being managed with the West Fire by the Tonto National Forest under Incident Commander Tadd Fagerud.
Photo courtesy of C Martin
Smoke Meeting with ADEQ, Arizona DFFM, USFS
The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality, the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management and the U.S. Forest Service will host a hybrid community meeting in Camp Verde on Wednesday, Oct. 2, to discuss prescribed fire plans and smoke management in Arizona.
The goal of this meeting is to engage with Arizonans to increase awareness about the benefits and process of conducting prescribed fires, as well as educate our communities about the safe and effective land management practices that help protect people and property and keep forests healthy. While this hybrid meeting will be held in Camp Verde, interested Arizonans from all parts of the state are encouraged to join the meeting virtually.
Prescribed burns are a vital tool in modern forest management, offering numerous benefits to ecosystems and communities alike. By using carefully controlled low-intensity fires, land managers can reduce hazardous fuel buildup and decrease the risk of catastrophic wildfires. These controlled burns also promote forest health and resilience and protect watersheds by clearing out undergrowth, recycling nutrients back into the soil, and creating diverse habitats for wildlife.
“The management of Arizona’s legacy landscapes, watersheds, and ecosystems has become very complex and is currently an elevated concern for us all. The Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management has statutory responsibility to proactively manage all fire activities including fire suppression and prescribed fire activities to millions of acres of State Trust and private lands. Through strategically developed plans, prescribed fire acts as a cleansing mechanism to ensure our forests and watersheds remain healthy and help reduce the overall intensity of wildfires. We proactively work with the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality to reduce the impact of prescribed fire smoke through close coordination prior to project work, during the implementation, and after ignitions are completed,” said Roy Hall, DFFM’s Prescribed Fire Officer.
“We are constantly looking to develop more accurate forecasts of fire and smoke conditions to protect public and firefighter health,” said Ron Sherron, USFS Southwest Regional Smoke Coordinator. “Forest Service smoke research focuses on several key areas including emission characterization, emissions inventories, and smoke impacts. We strive to inform the public and firefighters on what they can do to protect themselves using the best available science collected from this research.”
While prescribed burns do produce some smoke, ADEQ is dedicated to managing and minimizing its impact. ADEQ works closely with burn managers to choose the best weather conditions for effective burns and optimal smoke dispersion, so Arizona communities can breathe cleaner air.
“By partnering with DFFM and USFS, we’re creating an open dialogue on prescribed burns and air quality management that includes all Arizonans,” said ADEQ Air Quality Division Director Daniel Czecholinski. “We’re eager to hear directly from the community as we work together to minimize smoke impacts.”
Register for Smoke Meeting
- Date: Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024
- Time: 6 – 8 p.m.
- Location: Camp Verde Community Library — Terracotta Room
130 Black Bridge Road
Camp Verde, AZ 86322 - Virtual Attendance: Register >
- Phone-in Option (listen only): 213-929-4212, Webinar Code: 741-670-091
The meeting will feature presentations from key officials representing ADEQ, DFFM, and USFS and offers a unique opportunity for residents to learn about the state’s approach to prescribed fires, understand the approval process and gain insights into smoke management techniques. Attendees will have the chance to engage directly with experts and have their questions answered.
Resources
State of Arizona Prescribed Fire Video | View >
Arizona Department of Environmental Quality
ADEQ is the state agency responsible for protecting and enhancing public health and the environment in Arizona. It oversees programs for air quality, water quality, waste management, and contaminated site cleanups, working to ensure clean air, water, and land for all Arizonans.
- Smoke Management | View >
- Approved Daily Burns | View >
- Portable Monitors | View >
- Fire Facts | View >
Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management
DFFM is dedicated to the protection of Arizonans, communities, and wildland resources. It provides fire protection to millions of acres of state and private lands, manages the State’s forestry programs, and oversees wildfire prevention and suppression efforts.
U.S. Forest Service
The mission of the U.S. Forest Service is to maintain the health, diversity, and productivity of the country’s forests and grasslands for the benefit of current and future generations. The Forest Service manages over 192 million acres of public land, including national forests, grasslands, and research and experimental forests. The land is used for a variety of purposes, such as recreation, timber, grazing, minerals, water, fish, and wildlife.
At over 2.9 million acres, the Tonto National Forest is the largest national forest in Arizona, and the ninth largest national forest among 154 USDA National Forests. The Tonto is one of the most-visited “urban” forests in the United States with 3 million visitors annually. The forest’s boundaries are Phoenix to the south, the Mogollon Rim to the north and the San Carlos and Fort Apache Indian reservations to the east. One of the primary purposes for establishing the Tonto National Forest in 1905 was to protect its watersheds around reservoirs. The forest produces an average of 350,000 acre-feet of water each year. Six major reservoirs on the forest have the combined capacity to store more than 2 million acre-feet of water. Management efforts are directed at protecting both water quality and watershed and riparian area conditions. Balancing conflicting resource needs and providing for comprehensive multi-use management, consistent with the conservation ethic, is a continuous objective in administering the resources of the Tonto National Forest.
