WILLIAMS – Fire managers on the south zone on the Kaibab National Forest will be continuing burning slash piles on both the Williams and Tusayan Ranger Districts beginning Tuesday January 26.
Tusayan Ranger District: On Wednesday a total of about 20 piles at various locations across the district will be burned, with most of them being located west of the Grand Canyon Airport. Smoke may be visible from Highway 64 and the airport at times, however little to no smoke impacts are expected, and this burn will be short in duration.
Williams Ranger District: The Moonset Pit green waste disposal site west of Parks will be ignited on Wednesday of this week. The site is currently at capacity. Removing the debris now will open more space for residents to dispose of woody material in the upcoming year. Residents can expect to see and experience some smoke early on, but officials anticipate quick and thorough consumption limiting the time and volume of smoke that will be produced. Forecasted breezy conditions will also help move lingering smoke out of the area rapidly.
A 2271-acre unit of machine piles about 2 miles south of Bill Williams Mountain near Cougar Park will also begin this week. The unit is broken into 5 blocks and ignitions will occur along forest road 122 along the northern portion of the unit Tuesday morning. Removing piles from this location will widen the fuel break along the 122 road that will create a safer defendable line offering better protection around the southwest side of Bill Williams Mountain in the event of an uncontrolled wildfire. Smoke is not expected to impact any residential areas and is forecasted to ventilate quickly.
Snowy weather conditions throughout the winter provide ideal conditions to burn slash piles on the forest. Pile burns will be ongoing whenever opportunities arise after snowstorms when woody debris can be burned safely with no potential for spread on the snow-covered surfaces. Additional units scheduled to be burned this winter include piles near Marteen Tank, Government Hill, and Round Mountain. This fuels reduction work is part of the ongoing forest restoration initiative that will be continuing in and around forested landscapes across northern Arizona.
All prescribed burns are subject to approval from the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality. Members of the public may view approved prescribed fires at smoke.azdeq.gov/
To learn more about smoke and public health, visit http://bit.ly/SmokeHealthAwareness.