ARIZONA BURNING AGAIN! Pack Rat and Trick Fires

Southwest Area Wildland Fire Operations ^ | Aug. 27, 2002 | Fire Management Team

[madfly]

Last Update: 8:30 a.m. (MDT); August 27, 2002

Six fires reported for yesterday.  Three fires reported by the State of Arizona, two fires on Santa Fe NF, and one fire on Fort Apache Reservation.  One new large fire (i.e. fires >100 acres), LAKES FIRE on Santa Fe NF.  

ARIZONA
PACK RAT FIRE, located along the Mogollon Rim, 15 miles north of Payson, AZ, is now over 1,210 acres.  Burning in mixed conifer and chaparral on Coconino and Tonto National Forest's, the fire became very active yesterday with increased torching, spotting, and upslope runs.  A number of spot fires were found across the line to the north.  Crews, engines, and helicopter assistance were successful in suppressing these spots.  Progress was made along the eastern flank as crews were able to insert line to protect homes in the area.  Burnout operations and continuation of line construction will continue through today.  Potential exists for addition fire runs today in canyons to the east and north.  A Southwest Area Type 1 Team (Humphrey, Incident Commander) has taken over management of the incident.  The PACK RAT FIRE is expected to be contained by September 7. General location Map

PACK RAT FIRE PHOTOS
Photos by Margo Whitt Pack Rat Information Officer, August 21, 2002

TRICK FIRE, on Kaibab National Forest, is now 3,795 acres.  Located approximately 17 miles southeast of Williams, AZ, within the Sycamore Canyon Wilderness Area, the TRICK FIRE is burning in steep, difficult terrain with limited water sources.  Active fire behavior yesterday morning and through the day with uphill runs on southern slopes.  Above the rim, lighter fire intensity is being experience.  Crews have built line off the rim into Tule Tank Wash.  Scouting, continuation of line construction in Tule Tank Wash, helicopter water drops, and beginning mop up in several areas planned for today.  A Great Basin Type 2 Team (Broyles, Incident Commander) is managing the incident.  No estimate on containment reported.  General Location Map | News Release 8/26

TRICK FIRE PHOTOS
Photos by Jacqueline C. Denk Fire Information Officer, Williams/Tusayan Ranger Districts,  Kaibab National Forest

NEW MEXICO
LAKES FIRE is a new fire reported yesterday on the Santa Fe National Forest.  The fire originated south of Fenton Lake in the Jemez Ranger District.  Within hours, the fire grew significantly moving to the northeast.  By evening, this active ground fire with some significant torching and crowning, had grown to over 3,000 acres.  Crossing State Road 126, evacuations became imminent for residents in the Thompson Ridge residential area.  Other areas evacuated included Fenton Lake State Park and Seven Springs.  Evacuation centers have been set up at Cuba High School and Senior Center at Canon, south of Pueblo of Jemez.  Evacuees may also call the Red Cross at 505-265-8514 for assistance and direction.  Four summer homes have been confirmed destroyed.  One of these homes was under construction.  State Road 12 from Highway 4 to Highway 550 at Cuba, NM, has been closed.  Smoke is visible in Santa Fe, Los Alamos, Espanola, and Taos. General location map of area.

Santa Fe National Forest is also working the LABOR FIRE, a 75-acre fire located one-half mile south of Cerro Pelado.  The fire is moving in a northeast direction threatening an electronic site on Cerro Pelado.  

Gila National Forest continues to monitor two large fires managed as "fire use," fires that were ignited by lightning, are burning in remote areas and pose no threat to life or property, and help reduce the buildup of hazardous forest fuels (vegetation).  They include ADOBE FIRE USE and CREEK FIRE USE.  A third fire, CUB FIRE, is being managed as a confined wildfire.  Two additional "fire use" fires have been reported and being monitored also, the CASTLE FIRE USE and WATER FIRE USE. 

[madfly]

There are at least 4 communities in danger in Northern Arizona, ready to evacuate.

[madfly]

More fires in West ping!

[madfly]

Arizona Fire ping!

[alaskanfan]

Please take me off of your ping list.

[madfly]

Arizona Wildfires Update

By ALISA BLACKWOOD
Associated Press Writer

   PHOENIX (AP) -- Four small communities about 10 miles east of Pine were told Monday to prepare for a possible evacuation because of a 930-acre wildfire burning nearby in the Tonto and Coconino national forests.

   The Pack Rat fire was burning within a mile and a half of up to 190 lots in the communities of Washington Park, Rim Trail Estates, Verde Glen and Cowan Ranch, said fire spokesman Jim Payne. It was not known how many homes were built on those lots, he said.

   The communities are southeast of the fire and the fire was moving north, Payne said.

   "The fire is not moving in their direction, but, of course, there is the potential for the winds to shift," he said.

   The fire would need to hit several trigger points before an evacuation order would be issued and residents would then have 24 hours to leave, Payne said.

   The fire was started by lightning Aug. 16 and was 20 percent contained Monday.

   A Type 1 team, which consists of the best trained, most experienced firefighters, was brought in to lead the fight against the blaze. That team, headed by Larry Humphrey, was the one that
oversaw the battle of the massive Rodeo-Chediski fire in the White Mountains.

   Meanwhile, fire crews continued making progress in fighting a 2,200-acre wildfire in the Kaibab National Forest. The acreage jumped from 1,200 acres on Sunday because fire crews burned fuel
inside part of a fire line to keep the fire from progressing, fire spokeswoman Annie Hanson said.

   The Trick fire roughly 20 miles southeast of Williams in the park's remote Tule Canyon was 30 percent contained.

   More than 270 firefighters and several aircraft focused Sunday on maintaining a protective line around the Trick fire.

   A Tuesday night lightning strike caused the wildfire, and firefighters had no estimate of when full containment might be accomplished.

   The National fire about 12 miles north east of Payson in the Tonto National Forest was fully contained Saturday night at 54 acres.

   No homes or buildings were threatened by that lightning-caused fire.

(Copyright 2002 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)

[madfly]

will do!

[Carry_Okie]

Here are some pictures from the Rodeo/Chedesky fire (the spelling of the second name escapes me). I took them this month on the road from Show Low to Heber, Arizona (state route 260).

Note how thin these trees are. There is very little that is (or was) marketable. It's probably not even good for pulp.

One thing for certain, fire crews (especially from Montana and Idaho) bring weeds. In an open growing medium such as this the weeds establish very rapidly. Much of Western rangelands are now covered with knapweed and cheat grass.

When the rains come there will be no cover and the streams will become a boiling alkaline mudpot of ash and silt. What fish habitat?

This forest is ready to blow up again, perhaps even hotter. There is no telling how much of the native seed bank was destroyed by the heat.

Unless there is significant green material left on a pine, it's a goner (unlike redwood for example). Some of the oaks in the foreground will make it.

This last photo was taken on an Apache Reservation. If you look carefully at the pine on the right and some of the other vegetation you can see that the fire burned through here too. Notice the trunk on the pine and how much thicker it is. They log their land.

[Grampa Dave]

Sorry to hear this. Just last week a local enviral whacko was arguing that the fire season was over for Arizona and New Mexico. I asked him when had Dementia due to Green Rot destroyed his brain. We are now into what is the beginning of about a two month fire season for the SW.

Sorry to hear this and please keep us posted.

We will be officially launching our FIRE program on Free Republic very soon (hopefully today). FIRE stands for FIGHTING IRRESPONSIBLE RADICAL ENVIRALISM.

Thanks to Ebuck, and anony Freeper Donor and the talents of some great Freepers, we will be putting up an incredible Bill Board in the heart of Oregon is still burning country.

Stay tuned for an upcoming thread on this Freeper Program to take the PR war directly against the vile Watermelon Green Jihadists.

[madfly]

Yes, I've been seeing lots of film on local TV.

It's been a couple of days since I've been on the "Vanity" post. This Billboard Proj. is a great accomplishment, all about timing, coming together so fast! Exciting.

FIRE ? Could this be

the true meaning of fighting fire with FIRE!!!

[hsmomx3]

Gosh, I have only heard of two fires here in AZ!! Thank goodness for FR as this is the place to get 99.9% of my news. So much for local news. Seems they are only focusing on the fires around Payson and another which I cannot recall the name.

[madfly]

Thanks for the professional looking Arizona pics, CO.

[Carry_Okie]

Thanks. Processing those images was a lot of work. I had a new camera and the exposures had to be underexposed with depressed contrast in order to capture the color and texture information and for the glare not to blow away the CCD. Then I had to use software to correct lens distortion and bring the contrast and color back up.

It was tricky.

[OldFriend]

And not a word from Senator McCain, demanding that the Daschle rule be in effect in his state as well. Too busy dreaming up ways to thwart the President no doubt.

[AAABEST]

Bump for someone who acts, not just talks.

[dittomom]

Thanks for the ping. Did catch some live coverage of the Trick Fire (near Williams) last night on Channel 3 before the baseball game. They said that the fires were not as intense as the Chedisky and Rodeo fires because the moisture and humidity levels were a little higher now. Still, I think they said that containment would take until about September 7.

[madfly]

I have only heard of two fires here in AZ!! Thank goodness for FR as this is the place to get 99.9% of my news. So much for local news. Seems they are only focusing on the fires around Payson and another which I cannot recall the name.

Yes, there are 2 Large Fires in Arizona. There was a small fire contained Sunday night, near Payson. The National fire about 12 miles north east of Payson in the Tonto National Forest was fully contained Saturday night at 54 acres.?

Pack Rat fire, 10 miles east of Pine, AZ. Trick Fire, near Williams (Southwest of Flagstaff). Just had a newsflash on Fox about the Pack Rat fire, it's burning just one mile from small town or community. All our beautiful Ponderso Pines. Nothing like waking up the scent of pine trees. So sad.

Fox Also reports on wildfire near Albuqerque, affecting campers and residents. Thanks Environ Mentalists, for continuing to watch the results of your warmfuzzy feelings for the big huggy trees. When will we see you cleaning up this mess? Look up accountability. If you truly care you should jump in and help out, but then again, you can't be trusted. Go to He$$

[Alamo-Girl]

Thanks for the heads up!

[madfly]

Ponderoso = Ponderosa. Remember that Hoss!

[madfly]

It was tricky.

Yes, but problem solving is one of your best talents.