Due to heavy rains Navajo Road 60 5 miles north of Dilkon has been closed due to flooding damage. NDOT will be performing road assessment today. Be careful when traveling and do not enter flooded washes and low lying areas.
The return of monsoonal weather patterns have reduced the fire danger throughout the region. As a result, on Thursday July 11 at 12:01 am the restrictions throughout the region will be lifted. We would like to remind everyone that although fire danger is no longer extreme, it is still high and visitors and citizens should continue to be extremely cautious!
Stage I and II fire restrictions prohibited fires and campfires, smoking except within an enclosed vehicle or building, discharging of firearms, certain mechanical operations, motorized vehicles off designated roads and trails and in Navajo County the use of fireworks. These activities are no longer under restriction. If there are any doubts or questions please make sure to contact the agency specific to the area.
Taking a few precautions can make all the difference:
* If you are a smoker, be cautious about how and where you extinguish your cigarettes.
* If you are using a portable stove, be careful to set up the stove in an area cleared of fuels and make sure the stove is safe from tipping over.
* Campfires should NEVER be left unattended and should be completely extinguished when leaving your campsite. Remember: “If it’s too hot to touch, it’s too hot to leave!”
* Do not park or drive vehicles on top of tall dry vegetation, hot vehicle parts may still ignite a fire.
* Remember to look up, down and all around when selecting a campsite. Do NOT set up under dead or dying trees as falling limbs can become hazards, do NOT set up in dry creek beds as they can flood in moments during monsoons, and make sure the area is clear of any other potential hazards.
We welcome our citizens and visitors to enjoy the outdoors and all the activities throughout the region but continue to ask everyone to please be careful!
Our deepest sympathies go out to the families of the 19 members of the Prescott Granite Mountain Hot Shots crew that perished in the Yarnell Hill Fire today. The fire stared Friday and grew from 4 to 2,000 acres today and is located is in Yavapai County approximately 85 miles northwest of Phoenix. Details are still coming in but it appears the firefighters had to deploy their fire shelters and were overcome by the fire. It appears that this fire was started by lightning. This tragedy is now the deadliest fire in the last 30 years in the United States.
Our hearts go out to everyone involved in the Yarnell Hill Fire.