Cottonwood Ridge, Snake Ridge, and Spoon Fires – Aug 1, 2023, Daily Update

Public Information Line: 928-421-4579
Phone Line Hours: 8 am – 8 pm
Email: 2023.CottonwoodRidge@firenet.gov

Thunderstorms and Rain fall across the White Mountains

Cottonwood Ridge Fire Quick Facts
Acres: 345
Cause: Lightning
Containment: 50% Start Date: July 23, 2023
Location: 4 miles south of Show Low, AZ
Fuels: Timber, grass, brush

Spoon Fire Quick Facts
Acres: 4,560 acres
Cause: Lightning
Containment: 25% Start Date: July 24, 2023
Location: 2.5 miles east of Highway 60 between Globe and Show Low, AZ. 11 miles southwest of Cedar Creek
Fuels: Piñyon- Juniper, Manzanita, Grass, Cedar

Snake Ridge Fire Quick Facts
Acres: 42 acres
Cause: Lightning
Containment: 25% Start Date: July 28, 2023
Location: 11 miles southwest of Show Low, AZ.
Fuels: Grass, Brush

Total personnel for all incidents: 392

The last several days of rain and higher humidity have kept fire activity minimal. Hotspots may still exist, and some areas may become active again toward the end of the week as fuels dry out. Lightning in the area has ignited at least one snag, and firefighters will be on the lookout for additional new starts. The rain and humidity will help fuels absorb moisture, which can reduce the chance of rapid fire growth.

Cottonwood Ridge Fire Update: Crews continue to improve firelines, mop up areas, and seek out hotspots. Hotspots can be more difficult to find because of the recent rains and lack of smoke. Work will continue around the northern edge of the fire, as weather conditions allow.

Spoon Fire Update: The Spoon Fire received the least amount of rain on Monday, as weather systems moved into the area around 5 p.m. This allowed firefighters to make progress on fireline construction. Air resources were mostly grounded due to weather storms in the area. Crews will continue to construct and secure fireline using hand crews and dozers, focusing on the west and south edges. The southern portion of the fire will have the highest chance of showing heat again as the weather warms and dries heading into Thursday and Friday this week.

Snake Ridge Fire Update: Crews were able to make some progress on mop up and line securing operations before being pulled from the line due to weather on Monday. Firefighters will continue to seek out hotspots and secure fire line to increase containment.

Mustang Ridge Fire Update: The Mustang Fire has reached 100% containment and will continue to be monitored by air.

Weather: On Monday, multiple storm systems moved into the area with rain falling over both the Cottonwood Ridge and Snake Ridge fires helping fuels to absorb moisture. This weather system is expected to continue on Tuesday, which will help keep fire activity minimal and decrease the chances of fire activity increasing when the area begins to dry out again at the end of the week.

Evacuations: None.

Residents and visitors should take time to become familiar with the Ready, Set, Go evacuation model. These steps help you to be READY in the event of an emergency by preparing now. Additionally, sign up for the Navajo County Alert System at https://tinyurl.com/y4vwrasw.

Smoke: Rain and humidity area keeping fire behavior to a minimum and there is no smoke currently visible. This may change as the area dries out as the week progresses. The Spoon Fire may have isolated pockets of heat and smoke. Please slow down when traveling through smoky areas.

For information on smoke and air quality visit https://www.airnow.gov.

Closures: Highway 60 remains open. The southwest portion of Fort Apache is closed, including all Salt River sites within the closure area.

Fire Restrictions: There are several fire restrictions in place depending on location.

Fort Apache Agency: Stage 2 Fire Restrictions. No campfires, fireworks, outdoor smoking, debris burning or discharging of firearms. Power saws cannot be used between 10 am and 8 pm. All motorized travel is restricted to developed roads.

Show Low, Navajo County and Apache Sitgreaves National Forests: Stage 1 Fire Restrictions. No campfires (except in developed recreation sites), no smoking outdoors, no welding, no fireworks.

For more Information:

Inciweb:

Cottonwood Ridge: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident-information/azfta-cottonwood-ridge-fire

Spoon: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident-information/azfta-spoon-fire

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BIAFAAFireMgt/

Cottonwood Ridge, Spoon and Snake Ridge fires – Daily update July 31, 2023

Cottonwood Ridge Fire Quick Facts

Acres: 345

Cause: Lightning

Containment: 50%

Start Date: July 23, 2023

Location: 4 miles south of Show Low, AZ

Fuels: Timber, grass, brush

Spoon Fire Quick Facts

Acres: 4,560 acres

Cause: Lightning

Containment: 25%

Start Date: July 24, 2023

Location: 2.5 miles east of Highway 60 between Globe and Show Low, AZ. 11 miles southwest of Cedar Creek

Fuels: Pinon- Juniper, Manzanita, Grass, Cedar

Snake Ridge Fire Quick Facts

Acres: 42 acres

Cause: Lightning

Containment: 25%

Start Date: July 28, 2023

Location: 11 miles southwest of Show Low, AZ.

Fuels: Grass, Brush

Total personnel for all incidents: 392

Fire crews are making progress to contain all fires. Rain fell across the fire area, resulting in decreased fire activity. This will help keep fire activity minimal over the next few days. This doesn’t mean the fires are out.

Cottonwood Ridge Fire Update: Crews made progress bringing containment up to 50% before being forced off the fire line by rain and lightning. Crews will continue to improve and secure fire lines to protect communities to the north.

Spoon Fire Update: Fire crews gained containment along the west side and began direct fire line construction on the east side of the fire, resulting in containment increasing to 25%.

Snake Ridge Fire Update: No smoke was visible on the fire Sunday, and the fire showed minimal hot spots. Crews will continue to improve fire lines and mop up hot spots.

Weather: Rain fell across the area on Sunday, and all fires received some rain. Predictions for Monday include the possibility of thunderstorms forming and moving into the area in the early afternoon. Precipitation chances increase to 80%, with temperatures dropping into 80s.

Evacuations: None.

Residents and visitors should take time to become familiar with the Ready, Set, Go evacuation model. These steps help you to be READY in the event of an emergency by preparing now. Additionally, sign up for the Navajo County Alert System at https://tinyurl.com/y4vwrasw.

Smoke: The Spoon Fire may have isolated smoke from interior pockets of vegetation. Please slow down when traveling through smokey area. For information on smoke and air quality visit https://www.airnow.gov.

Closures: Highway 60 remains open.

The southwest portion of Fort Apache is closed, including all Salt River sites within the closure area.Fire Restrictions:

There are several fire restrictions in place depending on location. Fort Apache Agency: Stage 2 Fire Restrictions. No campfires, fireworks, outdoor smoking, debris burning or discharging of firearms. Power saws cannot be used between 10 am and 8 pm. All motorized travel is restricted to developed roads.

Show Low, Navajo County and Apache Sitgreaves National Forests: Stage 1 Fire Restrictions. No campfires (except in developed recreation sites), no smoking outdoors, no welding, no fireworks.

For more Information visit Inciweb: For the Cottonwood Ridge fire: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/inci…/azfta-cottonwood-ridge-fire For the Spoon fire: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident…/azfta-spoon-fire

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BIAFAAFireMgt/

Cottonwood Ridge, Snake Ridge and Spoon Fire update 7-30-2023

Daily Update– July 30, 2023

Community Meeting Tonight, Sunday, July 30, 2023, at 7pm

Cottonwood Ridge, Snake Ridge and Spoon Fires

Cottonwood Ridge Fire Quick Facts Acres: 345

Cause: Lightning

Containment: 45%

Start Date: July 23, 2023

Location: 4 miles south of Show Low, AZ

Fuels: Timber, grass, brush

Spoon Fire Quick Facts Acres: 4,531 acres

Cause: Lightning

Containment: 0%

Start Date: July 24, 2023

Location: 2.5 miles east of Highway 60 between Globe and Show Low, AZ, 11 miles southwest of Cedar Creek

Fuels: Piñyon- Juniper, Manzanita, Grass,

Snake Ridge Fire Quick Facts

Acres: 42 acres

Cause: Lightning

Containment: 0% Start

Date: July 28, 2023

Location: 11 miles southwest of Show Low, AZ.

Fuels: Grass, Brush

Total personnel for all incidents: 342

The Southwest Area Incident Management Team 5 will host a Community Meeting tonight, Sunday, July 30, 2023, at 7 p.m. MST. It will be held at the Show Low Public Library Council Chamber at 181 N. 9th St, Show Low, AZ 85901. The meeting will also be Live streamed to the BIA Forestry & Wildland Fire Management- Fort Apache Agency Facebook Page at https://www.facebook.com/BIAFAAFireMgt. You do not need a Facebook account to view the video. There will be a question-and-answer portion at the end of the meeting.

Spoon Fire Update: Saturday, the fire behavior was minimal due to light cloud cover and light winds. Activity picked up in the afternoon on the southeast corner. Fire growth occurred on the east and south sides of the fire. Crews continue working to construct fire line along the western edge of the fire to protect Highway 60. Air resources and crews worked until around 3 p.m. when they were pulled from the line for safety reasons due to weather. Today, crews will continue building fire line if weather conditions allow.

Cottonwood Ridge Fire Update: Crews continued to construct line on the north and eastern edges of the fire Saturday bringing containment up to 45%. Crews were forced off the fire line around 1 p.m. due to thunderstorms and lightning in the area. Some interior pockets of vegetation, mostly in drainages, will continue to put up smoke for the next few days. Sunday, crews will continue to improve fire line and mop up hotspots working their way around the northern edge of the fire to prevent any chance of the Cottonwood Ridge Fire moving toward the communities of Linden and Show Low.

Snake Ridge Fire Update: Crews were successful in preventing the Snake Ridge Fire from increasing in size on Saturday. On Sunday crews will continue to secure and improve fire lines around the fire perimeter. Crews will continue to secure fire line and mop up hotspots.

Mustang Fire Update: The Mustang Fire has minimal to no heat and will continue to be monitored by air resources.

Weather: Sunday, thunderstorms and light precipitation are expected to develop in the afternoon. Conditions may force air resources and crews off the line. Temperatures are expected to be in the high 80s for Cottonwood Ridge and Snake Ridge fires and may reach mid 90s for Spoon Fire. Cloud cover and higher humidity in the afternoon may help keep fire activity minimal, but outflow winds could push the fires and cause increased fire and smoke activity.

Evacuations: None.

Residents and visitors should take time to become familiar with the Ready, Set, Go evacuation model. These steps help you to be READY in the event of an emergency by preparing now. Additionally, sign up for the Navajo County Alert System at https://tinyurl.com/y4vwrasw.

Smoke: The Spoon and Snake Ridge fires may continue to put up smoke as interior pockets of vegetation continue to burn. Please use caution when traveling along smoky roadways. For information on smoke and air quality visit https://www.airnow.gov.

Closures: Highway 60 remains open. The southwest portion of Fort Apache is closed, including all Salt River sites within the closure area.

Fire Restrictions: There are several fire restrictions in place depending on location. Fort Apache Agency: Stage 2 Fire Restrictions. No campfire, fireworks, outdoor smoking, debris burning or discharging of firearms. Power saws cannot be used between 10 am and 8 pm. All motorized travel is restricted to developed roads.

Show Low, Navajo County and Apache Sitgreaves National Forests: Stage 1 Fire Restrictions No campfires (except in developed recreation sites), no smoking outdoors, no welding, no fireworks.

For more Information: Inciweb: Cottonwood Ridge: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/inci…/azfta-cottonwood-ridge-fire Spoon: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident…/azfta-spoon-fire Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BIAFAAFireMgt/

Public Information Line: 928-421-4579 Phone Line Hours: 8 am – 8 pm Email: 2023.CottonwoodRidge@firenet.gov

All reactions:77