4/17/14 – Don’t forget to join officials from agencies throughout Navajo County tonight at the Pinetop Fire Station #120 located at 5976 Buck Springs Rd. Learn first hand what preparedness measures have been taken for the 2014 Wildland Fire season and what you can do to be ready! The meeting will begin at 6:00 and should last about an hour and a half. Everyone is welcome!
4/15/14 – In recent years the major cause of wildfires in our forests have been human caused. As we enter the 2014 Wildfire season we ask that all of our citizens and visitors use the utmost caution when enjoying the forests. Due to the extreme drought conditions and lack of precipitation this past winter wildfire season has started earlier than ever. Combined with dry fuels on the ground this does not bode well for our region in the upcoming months.
To that end we urge anyone that wishes to enjoy the outdoors this summer to keep in mind that fire safety is number one priority! When building any kind of campfire make sure that the area is completely clear of any fuels that might be caught on fire including low hanging branches. Keep plenty of water, sand and a shovel near by to extinguish a fire. Never, ever leave a fire unattended even for a short period of time. Do not start a fire during “Red Flag” conditions, which are defined as: winds are expected to exceed 20 MPH, humidity is 15% or lower and fire danger rating is high. Finally, “If it’s too hot to touch, it’s too hot to leave” meaning if you do not feel completely comfortable putting your bare hand in the materials that were burned then the fire is NOT out!
Click on the link below for an informative video on how to build, maintain and extinguish a campfire.
RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM NOON TODAY TO 8 PM MST THIS EVENING FOR STRONG WINDS AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY…
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN FLAGSTAFF HAS ISSUED A RED FLAG WARNING FOR STRONG WINDS AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY…WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM NOON TODAY TO 8 PM MST THIS EVENING. THE FIRE WEATHER WATCH IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT.
* AFFECTED AREA…AREAS NORTH OF THE MOGOLLON RIM AND WHITE
MOUNTAINS.
* TIMING…FROM NOON TODAY TO 8 PM MST THIS EVENING.
* 20 FOOT WINDS…WEST 25 TO 35 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 50 MPH.
* MINIMUM RELATIVE HUMIDITY…AS LOW AS 8 PERCENT.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…
A RED FLAG WARNING MEANS THAT CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE EITHER OCCURRING OR ARE IMMINENT. A COMBINATION OF STRONG WINDS AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITIES CAN CONTRIBUTE TO EXTREME FIRE BEHAVIOR.