The lightning-caused fire is burning within the Wallow Fire perimeter

Springerville, AZ, June 14th, 2022 — The Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests personnel are on scene and responding to the Fish Fire, located on the Alpine District of the forest. The fire is southwest of Hannagan Meadows on Hwy 191.

The fire was initially reported on the 10^th of June. A dry lightning storm was occurring in the area at the time, and a lightning strike has been determined to be the cause. As of June 14^th,, the fire was estimated to be 226 acres.

A strategy of confining and containing the fire is being employed by resources on the ground. The Fish Fire is burning within the perimeter of the Wallow Fire, which occurred 11 years prior. Because of the previous fire activity, there are large portions of the area with standing dead trees. Known as “snags”, standing dead trees present especially dangerous working conditions for firefighters to operate in.

Monitoring, confinement work from existing forest service roads and containment operations will continue as weather and fire conditions allow, while simultaneously placing firefighter safety foremost in consideration.

The public is advised to avoid the area if possible. If travel near the area in necessary, please use caution on roadways, watch for equipment in the area, and slow down. These steps increase safety for both the public and for firefighters responding in the area. Updated fire information is available at https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/8160/ and on the ASNFs Facebook page.

Stay up to date on news from the A – S at our website https://www.fs.usda.gov/asnf, on Twitter @A_SNFs and on facebook.com/apachesitgreavesnfs.

The Pipeline Fire near Flagstaff was mapped overnight at just over 20,100 acres, with the Haywire/Double Fire at approximately 4,000 acres. With strong gusty winds and low relative humidity yesterday (Monday), both fires were very active with smoke moving toward the northeast throughout the day.

While winds will be weaker today compared to yesterday, gusty southwest winds are still expected, which will continue to result in active fire behavior and increased smoke production. Smoke is again forecasted to move toward the east-northeast, with light to moderate smoke impacts possible on the Navajo and Hopi reservations.

If you or your family members are impacted by the smoke, following these suggested actions if possible, will reduce the effects of the smoke: close windows and use fans or alternative cooling devices, turn off swamp coolers, use filtered HVAC systems, and avoid outdoor activities.

The Pipeline Fire near Flagstaff remained active overnight with continued southwest winds. Further, there are two additional fires, the Haywire and Double fires burning in the area. Smoke from these three fires is moving toward the northeast and onto the Navajo and Hopi reservations. With strong winds and low relative humidity (Red Flag conditions) expected today, active fire behavior is once again likely, along with high levels of smoke production. With the strong winds, some smoke will stay near the ground with moderate to periods of high smoke impacts likely. Light to moderate smoke impacts will be possible on the Navajo and Hopi reservations.