Official fire update *****6/24/2016 at 9:06 am*******
The fire is approximately 45,918 acres with 42% containment and 979 Personnel working it.

Significant progress was made Thursday in containing the Cedar Fire. Containment jumped to 42% as several additional miles of fire line, on both the south and north sides of the fire, were determined by fire officials to be secure. At the same time, officials are expressing concern about the possible convergence of monsoonal rains and the fire’s after-effects.

A Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) team has been evaluating the fire’s impact on the Cedar Creek, Cedar Canyon, and Long Tom drainages. Well over 50% of the drainages suffered severe fire effects, and the BAER team has determined that the volume of water carried by all three drainages will increase substantially. The Cedar Creek drainage is of highest concern, however, because of the high percentage of burned area. The BAER team, in collaboration with the White Mountain Apache Tribe and Navajo and Gila Counties, is evaluating possible mitigating and/or emergency actions that can be taken in the very short term as well as over the next several months to ensure the safety of the residents of Cedar Creek and Carrizo.

On Thursday, despite consistent winds from the west pushing the fire against the southeastern fire break, firefighters backed by aircraft were able to hold the line.

Firefighters will change tactics today along the southeast flank. They will “go direct”, meaning they will build fire-line directly against the fire’s edge. If they are able to complete all four miles of line, they will be able to connect Road B-33 with the contained portion of line north of the Cedar Creek community.

The fire along the western line is not advancing because the fuels are scattered and scarce, the wind is pushing back into the burned area, and because fire in general backs downhill more slowly.

Pre-evacuation notices remain in effect, and officials will meet today to discuss their continuation.

Announcements:

SR-60 between Carrizo and Show Low remains closed to travelers due to smoke conditions and firefighters actively working near the roadway. SR-73 through Whiteriver remains open from Carrizo to Hon-Dah.

Suspected Unmanned Aerial Systems (commonly known as drones) were detected in the southern end of the fire on Thursday. Drone use is illegal within the no-fly zone surrounding the fire, and may cause the shut down all air operations in the fire suppression effort.

All pre-evacuations are still in effect. If an evacuation notice is given, the evacuation sites will be Round Valley Middle School in Eagar via SR 73 and then SR 260 east. There is also an evacuation site at Holbrook High School to the north. Livestock may be taken to Round Valley Rodeo Grounds, the Holbrook Fairgrounds, and the Taylor Rodeo Complex.

****6/23/16 at 6:40 pm****

Acreage increased slightly to 45,737 and the fire is 42% contained.

Crews continued burn-out operations along Hwy 60, on the western flank of the fire and along the eastern flank off of the 33B road. The North and South lines of the fire remain in mop-up and patrol status.

Tonight, crews will look for favorable conditions to continue burn-out operations and will continue to monitor and patrol the existing containment lines.

We remain under pre-evacuation notice at this time.

Official Fire update *****6/23/16 at 9:15 am*****

The fire is at approximately 45,176 acres with 24% containment and 934 personnel.

Yesterday, the primary activity occurred on the east and southeast side of the fire within the steep canyons of unburned pine stands. With the direction of the wind shifting more out of the west southwest, several embers crossed Road B-33 and were suppressed by fire crews and helicopters. The night crews brought the fire further south along the 33 B road and held it in the pine stands stopping where the pine meets the Pinion-Juniper forest type.

Along the southwest side of the fire, fire personnel used aerial ignition in the area of Long Tom Canyon to create a backing fire that would minimize the effect of the active wildfire. There were patches of fire activity within the strands of pine, however, the sparse ground fuel would not carry the fire, resulting in areas of burned and unburned fuel.

Today, temperatures and relative humidity are expected to be similar to yesterday. The wind speeds are expected to increase slightly in the afternoon and become more westerly, influencing the fire behavior on the east and southeast flanks along the 33B road and slightly south.

Burn-out operations will continue on the east and southeast flanks along the west side of the 33B road and south within the canyons and pine stands. Smoke created may be visible. A smoke synopsis and air quality outlook for the communities adjacent to the fire will be posted daily on the Cedar Fire Information Facebook page.

In the southwest corner of the fire the crews will continue burnout operations if conditions are favorable. Fire may be visible from the area of SR 60 and SR 73 today.

The north and south containment lines of the fire are in mop-up and patrol status. Rehabilitation is underway using chippers to chop brush and tree branches and distribute them to reduce the fuel load and make them less visible and less susceptible to carry fire. Contingency lines continue to be cleared of brush and trees to enable the passage of fire suppression personnel and equipment.

Announcements:

SR-60 between Carrizo and Show Low remains closed to travelers due to smoke conditions and firefighters actively working near the roadway. SR-73 through Whiteriver remains open from Carrizo to Hon-Dah. Please use caution when driving on Highway 73, especially today and tomorrow with fire traffic and detoured traffic, livestock and wildlife.

Two Unmanned Aerial Systems (commonly known as drones) were heard in the southern end of the fire yesterday. These aircraft are illegal within the no-flight fire zone area, pose serious safety hazards to all fire personnel in the area, and will shut down all air operations in the fire suppression efforts until they have left the airspace.

All pre-evacuations are still in effect. If an evacuation notice is given, the evacuation sites will be Round Valley Middle School in Eagar via SR 73 and then SR 260 east. There is also an evacuation site at Holbrook High School to the north. Livestock may be taken to Round Valley Rodeo Grounds, the Holbrook Fairgrounds, and the Taylor Rodeo Complex. Community members that wish to evacuate now can go to the sites listed above.

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