Highline Fire in Coconino County

High Gusty Winds Expected Today for the Highline Fire
June 12, 2017 Morning Update

Acres: estimated 750 acres Start Date: June 10, 2017
Cause: unknown, under investigation Origin Location: 8 mi N of Payson in the 1990 Dude Fire Scar
Containment: 0% Fuels: Grass, Brush, Heavy, Dead and Down, Ponderosa Pine
Total personnel: 460 and mixed conifer

A Highline Fire Community Meeting will be held tonight at 7:00 p.m. at the Payson High School Auditorium, 301 South McLane Road in Payson, AZ. Please park in the main lot off of McLane Road. We will Live Stream the meeting on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/HighlineFireInfo/. You do not need to have a Facebook account to view this meeting. American Sign Language (ASL) services will be provided.

A cold front passing over the fire area today will bring high gusty southwest winds with dry air following the frontal passage. Firefighters continue to work day and night shifts to fully suppress the fire. Six helicopters are assigned to the fire and airtankers are available to assist firefighters on the ground with slowing the progression of the fire, as needed.

Crews and engines continue to work to try to secure the north side of the fire. When the fire made a run up onto the Mollogon Rim on June 10, it spotted north of the 300 Road in multiple places. Firefighters from the nearby Bear Fire, northwest of the Highline Fire, helped catch the spot fires and put in a dozer line around the area where the spot fires occurred. They also burned out to the west, tying in the spot fires with the Bear Fire, helping create an anchor point. Firefighters below the rim continue to try to keep the fire south of the 300 Road.

Fire crews will also be preparing the Highline Trail to help reduce the likelihood the fire will progress South of Highline Trail. A structural protection group will begin assessing areas ahead of the fire to develop contingency plans.

A Coconino National Forest Closure Order has been implemented. For more details visit the Coconino National Forest webpage, https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/coconino/alerts-notices. A Tonto National Forest Closure is expected to be implemented soon, for more details visit the Tonto National Forest webpage,
https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/tonto/alerts-notices.

Fire Restrictions remain in effect on the Tonto National Forest. Information is available on the Tonto National Forest webpage, https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/tonto/alerts-notices.

No evacuation orders are in effect at this time. A Precautionary Pre-Evacuation Notification is in effect for residents in the Bonita Creek Canyon. It is important for residents in these areas to be prepared as conditions can change rapidly.

Firefighters are working to limit the fire’s spread and protect values at risk where they can do so safely and effectively. These values include watersheds, private inholdings and local communities, pipelines, range improvements, powerlines, air quality, federally listed and sensitive species, and nationally and regionally significant trail systems.

Wildfires are a No Drone Zone. If you fly, we can’t. Every time a drone is spotted near the fire all aircraft are grounded until we can be sure the drone is clear of this area. More Info: Visit Know Before You Fly, http://knowbeforeyoufly.org

Fire Information: (928) 985-0097 (8:00 am to 8:00 pm)
Inciweb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5233/ (Air Quality info, County Emergency Alert sign-up link, Firewise tips)
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HighlineFireInfo/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/highlinefire

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