Official fire update ****6/20/16 at 1:05pm****

At this time there are no significant changes or events to report. If any changes occur we will notify you immediately.

Show Low, Pinetop/Lakeside, McNary, Hon-dah and the community of Cedar Creek remain under pre-evacuation notice.

Fire progression map.

Dark green indicates area burned on 6/15/2016 -7744 acres

Light green indicates area burned on 6/16/16, growth of 2623 acres, total of 10,367 acres

Yellow indicates area burned on 6/17/16, growth 1272 acres, total of 11,638 acres

Orange indicates area burned on 6/18/16, growth 1578 acres, total of 13,216 acres

Red indicates area burned on 6/19/16, growth 13,523 acres, total of 26,739 acres

Hwy 60 is to the West of the fire, Hwy 73 is to the southwest on the map as drawn in red

Official Fire update *****6/20/16 at 9:45 am******

Yesterday’s weather did in fact break records across Arizona including the local area, with extreme heat and low humidity which resulted in extreme fire behavior.

The fire grew approximately 14,000 acres yesterday, with all growth extending from the south side of the main fire. The current perimeter of the fire extends directly south and east of Highway60 across the Gila County/Navajo County boundary.

The eastern edge of the fire has crossed over the Cedar Creek drainage. The southern perimeter is still approximately 1 ½ miles east of Hwy 73, and approximately 2 ½ miles north of the Cedar Creek community and has reached an area with more sparse vegetation.

The Community of Cedar Creek is under a PRE-EVACUATION notice. . Community members that choose to leave the area now can go to either Snowflake High School or to the Eager Round Valley Dome. Livestock can be taken to the Taylor Rodeo Grounds or Holbrook Fair Grounds and small animals can be taken to Apache Eager Animal Control.

Early this morning, the winds did shift and are now coming from the south. The wind will limit future fire growth to the south. Firefighters were able to prepare and conduct burnout operations along the eastern flank of the fire near Faught Saddle, tying in a critical piece of the northeastern flank of the fire with completed line.

Fire crews will continue to work south along Hwy 60 to fortify the control points. In coordination with Navopache Electric, fire crews are looking for opportunities to conduct burnout operations along the highway. When they are able to conduct these operations, the electric cooperative may need to turn off the power line for a short time to provide for the safest possible environment for firefighters. Navopache Electric Cooperative will notify affected residents prior to turning off power. On the eastern flank, fire crews will be scouting opportunities to tie in the road system to existing control features related to the 2015 Playground Fire.

With the recent growth of this fire the Incident Management Team has ordered additional resources to support continued suppression efforts. As of this morning, resources include 23 Fire Crews, 37 Engines, 7 Dozers, 11 Water Tenders, 7 Helicopters, 4 Single Engine Air Tankers (SEATs) for a total of 770 personnel assigned to the incident.

The community is invited to hear directly from Incident Management leadership at 3 community meetings scheduled to take place today and Tuesday. Scheduled meetings include:
• June 20, 2016, 11:00am, Hon Dah Casino Conference Center, Whiteriver Conference room, 777 AZ-260, Pinetop, AZ
• June 20, 2016, 6:30pm, Blue Ridge High School, Main Auditorium, 1200 W. White Mountain Blvd., Lakeside, AZ
• June 21, 2016, 5:30pm, Show Low City Hall, Council Chamber, 181 N, 9th St. Show Low, AZ
The public can continue to get information on the Cedar Fire by calling the 311 Northeastern Arizona Public Information System at 928-333- 3412.