WILLIAMS – Fire managers on the Williams Ranger District are planning to burn two small units of slash piles totaling 16 acres on Wednesday of this week. A 2 acre unit of machine piles on the southwest side of Sitgreaves Mountain and a 14 acre block of hand piles near forest road 108 south of I-40 are the specific locations scheduled for treatment.

“Conditions are ideal for cleaning up these two areas with the impending weather forecast bringing snow overnight” said Fuels Specialist Zach Boness. “We expect full consumption of the debris with no potential for fire to carry on the ground.”

Smoke is expected to rise just above tree top levels and disperse rapidly to the east moving away from the local area. Short duration smoke impacts may occur on County Road 73, and on the south side of the district throughout the day however no overnight impacts are expected.

Visitors are always reminded to use caution when traveling in the vicinity of prescribed fires, as firefighters, fire-related traffic and smoke may all be present.

All prescribed fires are subject to approval by the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality. For additional information on the Smoke Management Division and to view prescribed burn authorizations for any given day, visit www.azdeq.gov/programs/air-quality-programs/smoke-management