Official fire update *****6/24/2016 at 9:06 am*******
The fire is approximately 45,918 acres with 42% containment and 979 Personnel working it.
Significant progress was made Thursday in containing the Cedar Fire. Containment jumped to 42% as several additional miles of fire line, on both the south and north sides of the fire, were determined by fire officials to be secure. At the same time, officials are expressing concern about the possible convergence of monsoonal rains and the fire’s after-effects.
A Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) team has been evaluating the fire’s impact on the Cedar Creek, Cedar Canyon, and Long Tom drainages. Well over 50% of the drainages suffered severe fire effects, and the BAER team has determined that the volume of water carried by all three drainages will increase substantially. The Cedar Creek drainage is of highest concern, however, because of the high percentage of burned area. The BAER team, in collaboration with the White Mountain Apache Tribe and Navajo and Gila Counties, is evaluating possible mitigating and/or emergency actions that can be taken in the very short term as well as over the next several months to ensure the safety of the residents of Cedar Creek and Carrizo.
On Thursday, despite consistent winds from the west pushing the fire against the southeastern fire break, firefighters backed by aircraft were able to hold the line.
Firefighters will change tactics today along the southeast flank. They will “go direct”, meaning they will build fire-line directly against the fire’s edge. If they are able to complete all four miles of line, they will be able to connect Road B-33 with the contained portion of line north of the Cedar Creek community.
The fire along the western line is not advancing because the fuels are scattered and scarce, the wind is pushing back into the burned area, and because fire in general backs downhill more slowly.
Pre-evacuation notices remain in effect, and officials will meet today to discuss their continuation.
Announcements:
SR-60 between Carrizo and Show Low remains closed to travelers due to smoke conditions and firefighters actively working near the roadway. SR-73 through Whiteriver remains open from Carrizo to Hon-Dah.
Suspected Unmanned Aerial Systems (commonly known as drones) were detected in the southern end of the fire on Thursday. Drone use is illegal within the no-fly zone surrounding the fire, and may cause the shut down all air operations in the fire suppression effort.
All pre-evacuations are still in effect. If an evacuation notice is given, the evacuation sites will be Round Valley Middle School in Eagar via SR 73 and then SR 260 east. There is also an evacuation site at Holbrook High School to the north. Livestock may be taken to Round Valley Rodeo Grounds, the Holbrook Fairgrounds, and the Taylor Rodeo Complex.