WILLIAMS — Fire managers for the Williams Ranger District of the Kaibab National Forest are planning to ignite prescribed fires at various locations across the district through the end of April. Operations may start as soon as Saturday. The specific prescribed fire units to be ignited will be chosen based on weather and fuel conditions.

Areas that could be treated are as follows:

Kendrick Prescribed Fire: Ten burn units northeast of Williams, approximately 3,400 acres

McCracken East Prescribed Fire: Three burn units southeast of Williams, approximately 840 acres

McCracken West Prescribed Fire: Four burn units southeast of Williams, approximately 1,700 acres

“Fuel moistures and weather conditions in the springtime are at prescriptive levels to meet objectives for fuels reduction projects,” said James Pettit, fire management officer for the Williams Ranger District.

During prescribed fire operations, community members and visitors may see fire personnel and vehicles in the vicinity. Smoke may also be present and may result in short-duration impacts to populated areas.

All prescribed burning on the Kaibab National Forest is subject to approval by the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality and appropriate weather conditions. For additional information on the Smoke Management Division of the ADEQ and to view prescribed burns authorized on any given day, please visit http://www.azdeq.gov/environ/air/smoke/index.html.

Additional fire information for Kaibab National Forest can be obtained through the following sources: InciWeb http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/4112/; Kaibab National Forest Fire Information Phone Line (928) 635-8311; Text Message – text ‘follow kaibabnf’ to 40404.