Acres: 184,531 acres (based on infrared flight)

Percent Containment: 15%

Start Date: Saturday, June 13, 2020

Cause: Human-caused
Origin Location: 22 miles NE of Mesa, AZ

Fuels: Tall grass and brush

Resources: 846 total including 11 Type 1 Crews; 8 Type 2 Crews; 46 Engines; 5 bulldozers; 21 water tenders; 9 helicopters

Expect to See Fire and Smoke as Fuels Within the Bush Fire’s Perimeter Continue to Burn; Firefighters Also Responding to the Central Fire; Online Community Meeting 6pm Tonight

Yesterday firefighters brought fire off Mount Ord and tied it in to SR 87 on the northwest side of the fire. Firefighters will be holding the area today. Firefighters will continue to patrol and protect communities as needed.

Residents along the Highway 188 corridor should expect to see fire and smoke as fuels burn within the large pocket of unburned fuel within the fire’s perimeter. Interactive Bush Fire perimeter map: https://tinyurl.com/Bush-Fire-Map

Firefighters continue to use sing a range of tactics to fully suppress the fire. They are working to protect values at risk including nearby communities, state highways, communication sites and power lines.

The incident management team has assumed command of the Central Fire. https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6792/

There will be an online community meeting tonight on the Bush and Central Fires at 6 pm on Fb.com/bushfireinfo. An American Sign Language interpreter and captioning will be provided. A recording will be posted following the meeting.
No account is required to view the video. If a pop-up box appears when you first navigate to the link, you can use the scroll bar on the right to scroll down to the view and/or click “not now” to minimize the login pop-up. We will monitor online Facebook questions during the meeting or you can e-mail us your questions at 2020.bush@firenet.gov.

Sunflower and residents and visitors to Apache Lake remain under “Go” evacuation notice. The communities of Tonto Basin, Punkin Center, Pioneer Pass, Brownsville, Slate Creek, and Jake’s Creek have returned to “Set” mode. Gisela, Rye,
Deer Creek, 76 Ranch and Bar T Bar Ranch (BT Ranch) remain in “Set” status. Evacuation and shelter info map: https://tinyurl.com/bushfirepublicinfo. Visit Maricopa County https://ready.maricopa.gov/ and Gila County: www.readygila.com/ for more information.

Smoke Outlook: https://fires.airfire.org/outlooks/CentralArizona

Visit https://az511.com/ or call 511 for current road closure information. State Route 87 is closed from Payson (milepost 251) to Bush Highway (milepost 199). State Route 188 is closed between SR 87 (milepost 276) and Roosevelt Lake at milepost 243. In addition, State Route 88 is closed between Apache Lake (milepost 229) to State Route 188 (milepost 242). The long-term SR 88 closure from east of Tortilla Flat to Apache Lake also remains in effect.

The Tonto National Forest has an area closure surrounding the Bush Fire. Fire restrictions remain in place. Details are available at https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/tonto/alerts-notices.

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 http://knowbeforeyoufly.org.

Fire Information: 928-351-7596 (public) 928-351-7723 (media)
Inciweb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6773/ Facebook: Fb.com/bushfireinfo
Email: 2020.bush@firenet.gov Twitter: twitter.com/TontoForest
Inciweb.nwcg.gov

6/15/2020 –  Several fires around the state have smoke coming toward our region due to the prevailing winds. Officials urge everyone to take the proper precautions to care for your health. Please see the information below for more ways to protect yourself and those you love from the impacts of wildfire smoke. Don’t forget to share this with family, friends and neighbors that may have health concerns. 

**Note: Currently there are no new fires in Navajo or Apache Counties!

Jurisdiction: Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests, Clifton Ranger District
Resources: 4 hotshot crews, 2 initial attack crews, 2 Type 6 engines, 6 water tenders, 1 Type 1 helicopter, 1 Type 2 helicopter, 1 Type 3 helicopter, miscellaneous overhead
Start Date: June 6, 2020
Percent Containment: 5%
Origin Location: 22 miles north of Morenci, AZ
Cause: Lightning
Personnel: 304

Increased humidity and cooler temperatures carried in by surrounding thunderstorms helped to limit fire spread yesterday. Firefighters will continue to stay alert for increased thunderstorm activity, including any new lightning-caused fire starts, as the chance of precipitation grows to 25% today. Incident meteorologists indicate that a series of storms may move over the fire area today, bringing conflicting winds that could push the fire in multiple directions. Critical fire weather is possible later in the week as weather patterns shift to bring higher temperatures and drier conditions.

With the cooler temperatures moderating fire behavior, firefighters were able to begin assessing the risks to structures, including several cabins and ranch houses in area. A helicopter repel crew was flown into the Blue River corridor to begin structure protection efforts and create defensible space around the cabins. Future protection measures may include using aluminum structure wrap to protect the buildings from radiant heat and embers, if the fire were to move further in their direction.

The fire remains most active in the area around Red Mountain, burning through grasses and brush that make up the understory layer of timber forests. Firefighters are scouting for natural features such as ridgelines, trails and areas with exposed rock and sparse vegetation that could serve as holding lines. As crews monitor fire activity along Highway 191 and the area around Rose Peak, helicopters may assist ground crews by dropping water buckets to cool the fire’s edge. Crews continue to make progress along the highway, extinguishing any fires that threaten to cross over to the western side.

For the protection of the public and our firefighters, Highway 191 is closed in both directions between Mile Marker 189 (just past Juan Miller Road) and Mile Marker 225 (Blue Vista). This closure will remain in place through June 21, 2020 and may be extended as firefighters continue to secure the road corridor. Motorists should adjust travel plans accordingly. More information can be found at https://azdot.gov/adot-news/us-191-closed-eastern-arizona-mountains-due-bringham-fire.

Fire Information Officers are available from 8:00AM to 8:00PM to respond to questions via phone at (928) 288-2154 or email at 2020.bringham@firenet.gov. Additional fire information can be found at the following links:
• InciWeb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6747/
• Facebook (updates and daily operational videos): https://www.facebook.com/apachesitgreavesnfs/
• Interactive Bringham Fire Map: http://www.fs.usda.gov/goto/BringhamFireWebMap
• Temporary Closure Order: https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/asnf/alerts-notices/?cid=stelprd3793918
Southwest Region Smoke Outlook: https://wildlandfiresmoke.net/outlooks/SouthwesternRegion