White Mountain Zone Type 3 Team Assumes Command of the G22 Fire 

Thursday, April 08, 2021 

Location of Origin: 10 miles northwest of Cibecue, Arizona 

Start Date: April 3, 2021        Size: 1,000 Acres        

Cause: Under investigation    Percent Contained: 0                                                            

Personnel: 74                        Fuels: Grass/brush understory, snags, pine-stringers 

Resources Assigned: 5 Type 6 engines, 2 dozers, 20 person IHC crew, 19-person IA hand crew, 10 person IA hand crew, 2 water tenders, medical team, 1 type 3 helicopter, and other miscellaneous incident management overhead. 

The G22 fire transitioned from a Type-4 organization to a Type-3 complexity fire when the White Mountain Zone Incident Management Team assumed command today at 6:00 a.m.   

Operations: The G22 fire is burning within the Rodeo-Chediski fire scar, in rugged terrain with a large volume of snags/dead trees. Windy conditions continue to test fire contingency lines along the northeast portion of the fire, and to keep the fire in check, burnout operations along the 22H road to the G22 junction were conducted. The southern flank of the fire has experienced only minimal movement. Firefighters will continue to construct handline in the southeast flank along Spring Creek to the 32C road junction.  

Closures: The junction of the 27/28 road, north of Grasshopper Ranch and Salt Creek north of Chediski Lookout, is closed due to fire activity.    

Weather: Today’s forecast is calling for warm temperatures, with a high near 76 degrees. Winds are expected at 13 to 17 mph with gusts as high as 28 mph. Tonight will be clear with a low around 44. The drying trend is expected to continue with no precipitation in the near-term forecast. 

Values at risk: Fire fighter and public safety are the highest priorities for the incident management team. The G22 fire area includes important lands to the White Mountain Apache people. Firefighters are working to protect commercial timberlands, watersheds, riparian areas, rangelands, heritage sites, and recreation and wilderness areas. 

Safety: Smoke may be visible from Cibecue and along U.S. 60. Smoke-sensitive individuals and people with respiratory or heart disease are encouraged to take precautionary measures.    

Official fire information can be found on these sites. 

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BIAFAAFireMgt/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/apachesitgreavesnfs/
• ASNFs website: https://www.fs.usda.gov/news/asnf/news-events
• ADEQ Air Quality Information: https://azdeq.gov/node/7077

Lakeside, AZ, April 8, 2021— The Lakeside Ranger District will be conducting a 3,418 acre prescribed burn within the Lakeside East Broadcast burn area, south of Vernon beginning April 11, 2021 and continuing thru April 18, 2021, weather dependent.

The units located within the Lakeside East Broadcast burn area are:
Los Burros Unit – 1,744 acres
Pierce Mountain Unit – 912 acres
Reservation Tank Unit – 671 acres.

These units are located about eight miles south of Vernon, along Apache County Road 3140. The burn units are surrounded by Forest Service Roads 96, FSR 9G, FSR 9835 and Apache County Road 3140.

Ignition may last more than one day, with daily smoke impact anticipated within area drainages. Smoke will be visible in the local area, from Arizona State Highway 260, and U.S. Highway 60, in Springerville, Eager, Vernon, McNary, Pinetop-Lakeside and Show Low. In the interest of safety, forest visitors are reminded to obey all traffic signs and use caution when traveling in the vicinity of the prescribed fire burn units as firefighters and fire-related traffic may be in the area.

Prescribed burning provides many benefits and is essential for maintaining healthy forest ecosystems. This area has received some forest thinning within the past three to eight years, this burn continues the needed restoration treatment, providing habitat diversity, recycling plant nutrients into the soil, and encouraging new growth for a variety of plants used by wildlife and livestock. Prescribed burning of forest ground fuels also reduces the negative threat of large-scale wildfire impacts. This prescribed burn is in cooperation with the White Mountain Apache Tribe.

Crews will be on scene from ignition until there is no longer a threat of escape from the project boundaries. Questions or concerns contact the Lakeside Ranger District at 928-368-2100 or visit the ASNFs website at: www.fs.usda.gov/asnf

The White Mountain Zone Type 3 Team has been ordered for the Incident and will assume command of the G22 Fire, at 6:00 a.m. tomorrow morning, April 8 2021.

Fire Activity and Operations: Yesterday, the fire cross one of the contingency lines within the northeast flank of the fire. Fire personnel conducted burnout operations along the 22H road to the G22 junction to keep the fire in check. There was minimal movement on the south flank of the fire.

Today, fire personnel will build indirect/direct handline in the southeast flank of the fire working along Spring Creek to the 32C junction. The roads within and surrounding the fire will continued to be cleared for access.

Road Closures: The junction of the 27/28 road, north of Grasshopper Ranch and Salt Creek north of Chediski Lookout is closed due to fire activity.

Values and Objectives: Firefighter and public safety is the number one priority for the G22 Fire. All fire actions will be assessed in relation to protecting values and minimizing impacts on cultural resources, wildlife, rangeland, watersheds, and natural resources.

If you have any questions regarding the fire, you can call Candy Lupe, Public Information Officer at (928) 205-5662 or you can log onto BIA Fort Apache Agency’s Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/BIAFAAFireMgt.