The Bush Fire grew by only about 140 acres yesterday, a far cry from activity observed over the weekend. It should be noted that the fire perimeter itself did not grow, but rather, interior pockets continued to burn. The total acreage of the fire is now estimated around 186,800 acres.

Unsurprisingly, far less smoke activity was seen on satellite yesterday. Only a couple small smoke plumes were noted in the afternoon, moving off to the east from the fire. However, a thin layer of smoke still remained over the region. Heber and Show Low saw some moderate smoke in the morning.

Looking ahead for today and tomorrow, smoke from the fire is expected to continue moving in the same general direction as previous days: it should disperse to the north into the Rim Country and toward Payson in the morning, then move off to the east in the afternoon. Then overnight, smoke is expected to settle into low-lying areas in/around the Tonto Basin area.

In general, smoke impacts are expected to be light across the region because of the significant decrease in fire activity. However, brief periods of light to moderate smoke impacts will be possible in Payson, Heber, and Show Low. Moreover, light impacts may be possible in Fountain Hills in the evening. Any smoke that does fill into the low lying areas near/around the fire overnight is forecast to lift out by 9 am Wednesday.