Location: Southwest of Show Low and Pinetop-Lakeside, east of Highway 60 on the Fort Apache Indian Reservation
Start date: Wednesday, June 15, 2016
Size: 45,977
Percent Contained: 60%
Cause: Undetermined
Resources Assigned: 774
Containment increased yesterday to 60% due to the dedicated efforts of firefighters across all divisions, though small pockets of activity still remain in isolated portions of the fire. The western edge south of Long Tom Canyon and small sections along the southeastern corner of the fire continue to have active burning in drainages, all within the fire perimeter. Crews will continue to patrol contained lined on Sunday, ensuring that any residual heat near the containment lines is extinguished.
Crews have begun repair and rehabilitation work across several sections of the fire. Fire Suppression Repair, includes a series of immediate post-fire actions to repair damages and minimize soil erosion and impacts resulting from fire suppression. These actions usually begin before the fire is fully contained, and before the demobilization of the Incident Management Team. This work repairs the fire lines created by crews and dozers, and repairs or rehabs the roads, trails, staging areas, safety zones, and drop points established or used during fire suppression efforts.
The Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) Team has arrived on site. BAER is the rapid assessment of burned watersheds to identify imminent post-wildfire threats to human life and safety, property, and critical natural resources or cultural resources on affected lands. Fires result in loss of vegetation, exposure of soil to erosion risks, and increased water runoff that may lead to flooding, increased sediment, debris flows, or damage to critical natural and cultural resources.
Weather has moderated, with cooler temperatures and higher humidity. Incident meteorologists have indicated an increased chance for thunderstorms with measurable rainfall beginning on Tuesday.
The Southwest Area Type 1 Incident Management Team 2, led by Incident Commander John Pierson, is preparing to turn the fire over to the local White Mountain Type 3 Incident Management Team early in the week.