Monthly Archives: July 2015

I-40 bridge overpass at Twin Arrow Road (exit 219) reduced to one lane at times beginning Monday morning (Jul. 20)

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PHOENIX — Geotechnical work on the Interstate 40 overpass at the Twin Arrow Road traffic-interchange will begin on Monday (Jul. 20) and continue daily until Wednesday (Jul. 22). Please use caution while the following restrictions are in place:

  • I-40 bridge overpass at Twin Arrows Road (exit 219), toward the Twin Arrows Casino, reduced to one lane at times daily from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Wednesday (Jul.20-22). Flaggers will be present during restrictions to guide traffic through the work zone.

Please allow extra travel time and to be prepared to merge safely when approaching the work zone.

A geotechnical investigation is designed to provide engineers with data on conditions below the surface, helping to refine construction plans and processes. The Twin Arrows TI project is scheduled to begin in 2016.

Tusayan Ranger District announces office hours for remainder of July

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TUSAYAN — Due to recent changes in staffing, the Tusayan Ranger District of the Kaibab National Forest will be offering reduced office hours for the remainder of July. The office is located at 176 Lincoln Log Loop in Tusayan, just south of the South Rim entrance to Grand Canyon National Park.

“I apologize for any inconvenience these reduced hours might have on visitors to our office,” said Tusayan District Ranger James Simino. “We are working to remedy this situation as soon as possible, but we ask for the public’s patience with us in the interim.

The Tusayan Ranger District office, (928) 638-2443, will only be open from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the following days for the remainder of July:

Friday, July 17
Monday, July 20
Tuesday, July 21
Wednesday, July 22
Thursday, July 23
Tuesday, July 28
Wednesday, July 29
Thursday, July 30

For passes, maps, permits, information, or any other needs on days when the Tusayan Ranger District office is closed, please call or visit one of the other Kaibab National Forest offices.

Kaibab Supervisor’s Office
Williams Ranger District
800 S. 6th St.
Williams, AZ 86046
(928) 635-8200

Williams Ranger District
742 S. Clover Rd.
Williams, AZ 86046
(928) 635-5600

Cameron Field Office
S. of Cameron Chapter House
Cameron, AZ 86020
(928) 679-2037

Seriously Injured Victim of Off Road Motorcycle Accident Rescued by Multi Agency Response

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640-PhotobFLAGSTAFF — On July 15, 2015 at approximately 1:30 pm the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office, the Coconino County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue Unit, Summit Fire District, Guardian Medical Transport, and AZ DPS Air Rescue responded to a motorcycle accident with serious injuries on Hundred Dollar Hill located within the Cinder Hills Off Road Recreation Area. Due to the terrain conventional emergency vehicles could not make access to the scene. The DPS helicopter could not land at the accident site either. A Search and Rescue UTV equipped for patient transport was driven into the crater.

Once the patient was stabilized efforts to remove the patient were initiated. The rescue of the accident victim took approximately 3.5 hours and the use of a CCSO UTV specially equipped with a patient litter basket. The patient was eventually flown to Flagstaff Medical Center by AZ DPS Ranger where he was treated for serious injuries he sustained as the result of this accident.

Burnt Complex update

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Kaibab National Forest Service photo

FREDONIA — As smoke from the Burnt Complex started to become visible from the communities of Kanab and Fredonia at about 4 p.m. yesterday, firefighters continued to receive positive results on this managed fire, which is located approximately 34 miles south of Fredonia and 5 miles southwest of Big Springs.

The Burnt Complex is located within the southern portion of the 28,060 acre Burnt Corral Vegetation Management Project area and has increased in size at steady pace since its discovery on July 5. The complex continues to be managed under Incident Commander Dave Veater in order to reduce accumulated fuels on the forest floor, recycle nutrients into the soil, and protect the greater area from future high-intensity wildland fires.

Fire Name/Date Started: Burnt Complex; the Burnt Fire was discovered on July 5, and the Corral Fire on July 9.

Location: Both the Burnt Fire and the Corral Fire are being managed as the Burnt Complex within the previously established 3,915-acre Burnt Fire planning area. The complex is bound by Forest Service Road (FSR) 228 on the north, FSR 274 on the south and west, and FSR 22 on the east.

Cause/Fire Behavior: Lightning/Moderate.

Size: Approximately 441 acres.

Fuel Types: Pine, down woody debris and duff (material on the forest floor consisting of decomposing needles and other natural materials).

Closures: Currently no road or trail closures are in effect or anticipated; however, hazard signs are posted, and motorists should exercise caution.
Resources Committed: 2 Type II Wildland Fire Modules, 1 Type-3 engine, 2 Type-4 engines, 1 Type-6 engine, 1 dozer, 1 Type-2 Initial Attack Crew, 1 Water Tender, 24 overhead; 62 personnel total.

Widening project complete on SR 89 between Prescott and Chino Valley

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Motorists traveling between Prescott and Chino Valley on State Route 89 (mileposts 320-325) now have a four-lane divided highway along a five-mile segment between Road 4 South in Chino Valley and Deep Well Ranch Road in Prescott.

Crews completed the final paving earlier this week and fully opened the roadway yesterday, July 15.

For the next six weeks, drivers can expect intermittent lane restrictions between 6 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday until August 31 as crews do miscellaneous work and clean up on the project.

Announcing a New Search Management Training Video

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SAR-Video-1FLAGSTAFF — A new training video which was a year in the making titled “Introduction to Search Management Best Practices” has been released to aid in training search managers. The video project was a joint effort between the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue Unit, a Mountain Rescue Association member team, and the National Park Service Branch of Search and Rescue. To maximize its benefit to the search and rescue community, the video is being distributed free of charge via the internet. The video is intended to be used in conjunction with a comprehensive search management course or as a review of search management concepts for seasoned search managers.

Search management involves a combination of art and science to analyze the situation and then organize responders to efficiently and effectively cover the search area in an effort to find lost or missing persons. The National Park Service has a long tradition of excellence in search management and the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office has played an active role in search and rescue management training in Arizona for many years and continues that role with the release of this video.

In addition to the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office and the National Park Service, other agencies that participated in the video project included the Arizona Department of Public Safety Aviation Bureau and Guardian Medical Transport.

A premiere showing for public safety agencies will take place at the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue Building on July 15th at 7:00 pm. The video can be found at the following link. https://vimeo.com/CCSOSAR/Search-Management

Williams and Tusayan Ranger District fire reports.

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WILLIAMS — Managers of the Williams Ranger District of the Kaibab National Forest have decided to manage the 98-acre Springs Fire to meet resource objectives but suppress the 17-acre Key Hole Fire.

The Springs Fire is located about 9 miles south of the City of Williams east of Davenport Knoll and 2 miles south of Summit Mountain on the east side of County Road 73. The lightning-caused wildfire has been growing over the last few days due to drier weather conditions and is burning in an area managers consider to be in need of treatment with fire.

Based on the location of the Springs Fire and its continued growth despite intermittent monsoonal activity, fire managers have decided to manage it over the coming days and possibly weeks in order to improve forest health, allow fire to play its natural role as a disturbance factor in the ecosystem, enhance wildlife habitat, and reduce the potential for future high-intensity fires.

Smoke from the Springs Fire has been visible at various times from County Road 73 and from Interstate 40 in the Parks area west to Williams. This morning, light smoke from the Springs Fire was noticeable in Williams for a brief period before lifting as temperatures increased. Light smoke may also be present from as far east as Garland Prairie west to Williams. There are no closures in effect related to the Springs Fire.

Fire crews are conducting work in preparation for the Springs Fire’s likely growth. Prep work includes lining range fences, aspen enclosures, and other potentially fire-sensitive resources in the area. This important work ensures that as the fire spreads naturally, fire managers will be able to allow it to grow without the risk of negatively impacting these other values in the area.

While the Springs Fire has proven to be a good candidate for management to achieve resource objectives, the Key Hole Fire, which is located just north of Key Hole Sink near Duck Lake north of Interstate 40, has not. Fire crews are suppressing the Key Hole Fire because it has remained relatively inactive due to receiving significant precipitation over the last week or more. When deciding whether to manage or suppress a wildfire, forest managers not only consider the location of the fire but also its current and anticipated level of activity and growth, as well as the effects it is having on forest resources.

Mason Fire

On the Tusayan Ranger District of the Kaibab National Forest, the Mason Fire grew to 3,056 acres yesterday as it backed out of an area dominated by ponderosa pine into pinyon-juniper woodlands. The fire, which has been managed as part of the Jar Complex to benefit forest resources over the last couple of weeks, is expected to continue slowly backing into these sparser fuels and eventually go out on its own. Fire managers anticipate relatively light smoke production over the coming days and reduced fire activity due to sparser fuels and predicted monsoons in the area later this week.

New start discovered in Burnt Complex Fire planning area

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burnt-comples150713-01a FREDONIA — While conducting planning area prep work for the Burnt Fire, North Zone fire personnel discovered a new lightning-caused wildfire on July 9, which has been named the Corral Fire. The Corral Fire point of origin is located approximately one mile south of the Burnt Fire point of origin.

Located within the already active Burnt Fire planning area boundary, both wildland fires are being managed in an area that has previously been deemed safe for firefighters to manage. This forest type has been identified by the Kaibab National Forest Land and Resources Management Plan, also known as the Kaibab forest plan, as appropriate for management actions.

Under the Kaibab forest plan, management of naturally-caused fires enables both forest and fire managers to reduce the risk of high severity fires, improve the resiliency of the forest’s natural ecosystems in the face of climate change, and increase the quality and quantity of important wildlife habitats within the Kaibab National Forest.

“If deemed safe to manage, these lightning-caused fires can be our most effective tool to restore the landscape and to return fire to fire-adapted ecosystems,” said North Zone Fire Management Officer Ed Hiatt. “By allowing fire to perform its natural role across the landscape, we can achieve the desired conditions outlined in our forest plan – to protect our surrounding communities, infrastructure, heritage resources, and recreational settings from severe wildfires.”

Together, both fires will be managed as the Burnt Complex within the previously established 3,915-acre Burnt Fire planning area. Both the 24-acre Corral Fire and the 85-acre Burnt Fire are bound by Forest Service Road (FSR) 228 on the north, FSR 274 on the south and west, and FSR 22 on the east.

Today fire behavior is active, which means that fire is spreading on the ground through duff, litter, and other fuels. Fire managers do anticipate smoke to lightly impact driving conditions along FSR 22. Currently, there are no road or trail closures in effect; however, hazard signs are posted, and motorists are reminded to be extremely cautious when driving in the vicinity and around firefighters and working equipment.

Since the Fourth of July weekend, North Zone firefighters have responded to nine lightning-caused fires across the North Kaibab Ranger District, five of which occurred on July 8 and are listed below:

  • Willis Fire – lightning caused and located just east of LeFevre Overlook. Approximately .10 acre in size. Action taken: none, currently in monitor status as it received rain several times during the day.
  • Highway Fire – lightning caused and located on a northwest slope between AZ Highway 89A and FSR22. Approximately .10 acre in size. Action taken: air support responded, took suppression action, and the fire is contained.
  • Lakes Fire – lightning caused and located on FSR 217, one mile in from AZ Highway 67. Approximately .10 acre in size. Action taken: suppressed, contained and controlled.
  • Murrays Fire – lightning caused and located along AZ Highway 67 near mile-marker 588. Single tree burning next to road edge. Action taken: suppressed.
  • Point Fire – lightning caused and located along AZ Highway 67. Two miles south of the Murrays Fire. Single tree burning near roadway. Action taken: suppressed.

Deer a plenty in Williams

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Deer15-07-13-2640WILLIAMS — We are located in the high country where the deer and antelope play. Currently there are a lot of deer and elk foraging the forests around Williams and Flagstaff and all points in-between.

We remind visitors that the deer are very active around Country Club Road which is near the entrance/exit on the west end of town. They are also very active south on Perskinsville Road which leads past the Santa Fe dam. You need to keep an eye out on Highway 64 to the Grand Canyon, as well.

They are generally most active in the early morning, evening and night time hours and they can cross the road or freeway without warning. Please keep an eye on the sides of the roads and watch for them or you could have a very costly accident.

If you are camping, deer may seem tame enough to feed or pet. You might have even pet them at the Deer Farm Petting Zoo just east of Williams. In the wild, however, it is a different story. They can spook easily and attack without warning. Please watch your children while camping in the woods and do not let them explore alone.

You can generally get good photos from your vehicle or from a safe distance. Use your zoom.

Mason Fire produces less smoke, continues to slowly increase in size

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TUSAYAN — The Mason Fire, a resources benefit fire on the Kaibab National Forest, is transitioning out of an area dominated by ponderosa pine into a portion of the forest that is mainly a pinyon and juniper ecotone, which, according to incident commander Quentin Johnson, will not burn at as rapid a rate or produce as much smoke.

Therefore, fire managers have decided to reduce the amount of firefighters needed to manage the fire, which will be allowed to burn until it reaches the edge of the management area. “The crews will continue with the same tasks, but there are fewer of them needed to manage the fire at this point,” said Johnson.

The 2,570-acre Mason Fire, located 7 miles southeast of the Town of Tusayan and 4 miles south of Grandview Lookout Tower, is the most active of the four lightning-caused wildfires that were included in the Jar Complex to provide ecological and other resource and community protection benefits in the area. The Mason Fire merged with the Old Fire yesterday and will be managed as one fire.

Motorists should continue to practice extra caution on the forest roads in the area of the Mason Fire and when driving highways 64 and 180 during the early morning. Smoke production from the Jar Complex is expected to be lighter over the next few days due to increasing cloud cover and monsoonal activity. However, it may still be visible from Desert View, Cameron, Tusayan, and highways 64 and 180. Overnight and during the early morning hours, smoke has settled closer to Tusayan and south toward Red Butte. However, as the sun warms up the morning air, that smoke has been lifting and dissipating quickly.