Category Archives: Kaibab National Forest

Spring fire smoke reaches Williams area

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WILLIAMS — The smoke in Williams, Garland Prairie, Sherwood Forest and Parks area is originating from the 2554-acre Spring Fire centered about 9 miles south east of Williams. The fire started on July 2 and was converted to a managed fire to burn off excess fire fuels.

On Tuesday the fire could be seen burning atop Davenport Knoll. The smoke is heavy, at times, along County Road 73, also known as South Road or Perkinsville Road. At night, when the temperatures drop, the smoke travels lower to the ground and may become heavy in Williams and the surrounding area.

There is a 60% chance of thundershowers this afternoon and 30-to 40% throughout the weekend. If rains come it could cause problems for fire managers who are trying to keep the fire burning. If the storms bring mostly lightning, we could see more fires starting.

In either case, campers are reminded to take care with their campfires and make sure they are completely out when leaving. Fire managers set boundaries which they hope to keep the fire from crossing. Fires started outside those boundaries cause problems with management efforts.

Springs Fire continues to meet management objectives

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Smoke from Spring fire visible from Williams, but County 73 currently unaffected.

Smoke from Spring fire visible from Williams, but County 73 currently unaffected.

WILLIAMS — The 410-acre, lightning-caused Springs Fire continues to meet fire management objectives, allowing natural fire to play its part in the ecosystem, improving both wildlife habitat and overall forest health. Crews are monitoring growth and evaluating the need for actions to keep the fire at a low to moderate intensity. The potential for continued growth depends on a variety of factors to include weather conditions, potential fuel continuity and winds.

Fire managers performed blacklining operations, yesterday, on the south side of County Road 73, also known as the “South Road” between Forest Road 354 (near Kunde Knoll) to Forest Road 3117. County Road 73 will now serve as a boundary to stop or eliminate fire growth to the north. Today blacklining may be conducted along boundaries near private lands, as the Springs Fire moves closer to sections of private land within the fire area.

Light impacts of smoke can be expected in the Garland Prairie and Sherwood Forest areas as winds are forecasted out of the southwest. Smoke may be visible in the Bellemont and I-40 area, Dogtown Lake and White Horse Lake vicinity. Over the next several days the wildfire is expected to move up Summit Mountain, where smoke may be more visible from a greater distance.

The fire, which started July 2, is located 9 miles southeast of Williams, near Davenport Knoll, to the west of Summit Mountain. No closures exist at this time, however campers are advised to be cautious when selecting campsites along Forest Road 354 and Forest Road 110. Although smoke was visible from Williams today, camp sites along County 73 are unaffected.

Springs Fire expected to grow despite recent precipitation

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Kaibab Forest Service photo.

Kaibab Forest Service photo.

WILLIAMS — The Springs Fire on the Williams Ranger District of the Kaibab National Forest has slowly continued to grow to 240 acres, despite recent precipitation. The wildfire, which was started by lightning July 2, is located 9 miles southeast of Williams near Davenport Knoll, just west of Summit Mountain.

Fire managers continue to pursue a number of objectives, first and foremost, both the safety of the general public and firefighters on the ground. At the same time, teams are allowing natural fire to play its role in the ecosystem, enhancing wildlife habitat and improving forest health.

Recent actions to manage the fire have included: removing small trees and brush away from infrastructure such as power lines and communication sites, protecting fire-sensitive archeological sites, and range fences. Burning around perimeter roads, also known as blacklining, to limit the fire’s growth in specific directions has already occurred on sections of Forest Road 354 and future operations could potentially include County Road 73, also known as Perkinsville Road, or the “South Road,” and Forest Road 110 depending on the movement of the fire.

About 15 fire personnel are currently assigned to the Springs Fire. Resources include a fuels crew, one engine, and one dozer, all from the Williams Ranger District. Depending on future movement of the fire, additional resources could be called in to assist.

While very little smoke has been visible over the last few weeks, drier conditions in the forecast are expected to potentially increase fire activity and smoke production. Fire managers expect the fire to remain at low to moderate intensity as it moves through the forest, which should keep smoke production and impacts at relatively low levels. Due to prevailing winds, smoke will largely be pushed towards the northeast, towards Sherwood Forest and Garland Prairie vicinities. At this time there are no closures associated with the Springs Fire.

Mason Fire reaches final size of 4,370 acres

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mason004aTUSYAN — The Mason Fire on the Tusayan Ranger District of the Kaibab National Forest has been contained after growing to 4,370 acres and providing multiple resource benefits since it started a few weeks ago.

The Mason Fire, located 7 miles southeast of Tusayan and 4 miles south of Grandview Lookout Tower, was one of four lightning-caused wildfires being managed as part of the Jar Complex to achieve ecological and other resource and community protection objectives. The Old Fire eventually merged with the larger Mason Fire, while the Lost and Shale fires that were located just east of Highway 64 several miles south of Tusayan never grew larger than about an acre in size each due to persistent rain showers over their locations.

“The Lost and Shale fires were in an ideal location, and we hoped they would eventually pick up in activity so that fire could move across the landscape,” said Quentin Johnson, fire management officer for the Tusayan Ranger District and incident commander for the Jar Complex. “But it was the Mason Fire that ended up having the most growth potential, and we are pleased that it reached the size it did.”

The Mason Fire burned at low-to-moderate levels of intensity over the course of its existence and had effects fire managers said were important in enhancing wildlife habitat, reducing the potential for future high-intensity fires, and improving forest health conditions.

As noted by Bruce Hill, fire lookout at Red Butte and a valued member of the Tusayan Ranger District fire organization, the Mason Fire not only met resource objectives but did so without impacting visibility at Grand Canyon National Park, an accomplishment that is not always easy to achieve given the district’s location just south of the iconic canyon.

While smoke was visible at times from Desert View, Cameron, Tusayan and highways 64 and 180, impacts were short-lived and mostly isolated to light smoke sinking into low-lying areas south of Tusayan along Highway 64 in the early morning hours on a few days.

Johnson added that he was proud that fire was able to play its natural role as a disturbance factor in the ecosystem and, that during its 22 days of spread, there were no injuries to fire fighters involved in its management.

The Mason and Old fires were both managed within a predefined 16,100-acre planning area. However, as the fires merged and then spread into sparser fuels, they naturally started dying out on their own. Then, significant precipitation associated with Hurricane Delores reached the Mason Fire over the weekend, putting it out almost entirely.

“For us, a planning area represents where we would be comfortable with and think the fire could eventually spread given the right conditions,” said Johnson. “It doesn’t mean it’s always going to get there, and that’s okay. We are allowing the fire to do what it would have naturally done historically. It would have been started by lightning during monsoon season, moved around for days or weeks, and then been put out by rain or by reaching natural landscape features. That’s exactly what happened with the Mason Fire. To me, that’s a success story.”

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

Burnt Complex update

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2015_07_09-13.20.30.042-CDT

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.

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.

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.

Springs Fire picks up in activity while Key Hole Fire continues to smolder

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KeyholeSink15-03-28-51

Key Hole Sink east of Williams.

WILLIAMS — The Springs Fire on the Williams Ranger District of the Kaibab National Forest picked up in activity yesterday due to drier conditions and higher winds, growing to about 80 acres in size. Meanwhile, the Key Hole Fire remained at 17 acres in size, smoldering and creeping slowly through pine needles and other forest debris.

Fire managers are considering allowing both lightning-caused wildfires to continue growing in order to meet ecological and other resource and community protection objectives. The Springs Fire is located just east of Davenport Knoll about 2 miles south of Summit Mountain east of County Road 73. The Key Hole Fire is located just north of Key Hole Sink near Duck Lake north of Interstate 40.

Yesterday, the Springs Fire put up smoke visible from County Road 73 and from Interstate 40 in the Parks area west to Williams. Due to its increased growth, fire managers used management ignitions along perimeter roads in order to reinforce boundaries established for the fire. Specifically, fire crews used drip torches to burn fuels along forest roads 57 and 354 in order to help define a northeastern perimeter for the growth of the Springs Fire. Smoke may still be present on the 57 and 354 roads in the area, so motorists are asked to use caution when traveling there over the next couple of days.

Today, firefighters will begin additional work in preparation for the Springs Fire’s likely growth. Prep work will include 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 and treat acres without the risk of negatively impacting these other values in the area. Fire crews will also be monitoring the Key Hole Fire, but growth is less likely due to its location and level of activity over the last several days.

There are no closures in effect related to the Springs or Key Hole fires. Smoke will likely continue to be visible from the Springs Fire. Kaibab National Forest managers want to assure members of the public who may see this smoke that the fire is being monitored and staffed by firefighting personnel and that it is a good candidate for management to achieve resource objectives such as fuels reduction, wildlife habitat improvement, and community protection because of its location and the fuels in which it is burning.