#BushFire Smoke Outlook for June 19-20, 2020
Download, view and print a pdf at bit.ly/2MWkwk1

Fire Information
The Bush Fire is estimated at 151,075 acres with over 36,134 acres of growth as of Friday morning, and is now 7 percent contained. Fire is growing to the North, East and South.

Smoke Discussion
Yesterday smoke moved Northeast toward Payson and Heber- Overgaard up through the I-40 corridor near Winslow and Holbrook.
Today will bring a slightly different pattern of smoke relative to the last few days. Overnight smoke has the increased potential to drain into Fountain Hills, and further into Scottsdale and North Mesa. Any potential smoke impacts should diminish throughout the morning with clearing by 9:00 am. Late morning through mid-day should see smoke moving predominantly from Tonto Basin North, Northeast to Payson, Heber-Overgaard, Show Low, Fort Apache Reservation, Snowflake, and up to the Northeast to the I-40 corridor where at least moderate AQI may be expected. Lighter winds throughout the day may cause widespread smoke in the areas mentioned with reduced dispersion. The largest potential for smoke impacts is expected in the afternoon moving along the Mogollon Rim from Payson mid day, east to Heber-Overgaard later into the day.

Extended Outlook
A pattern of lighter South to Southwest wind is likely into Saturday and Sunday that may again allow smoke to linger in the areas mentioned above.
Still expect heavy smoke during the early morning hours along Tonto Basin, Verde River, and Salt River corridors and drainage’s with brief impacts as smoke lifts.

#AZFire U.S. Forest Service-Tonto National Forest Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management

High winds push the Bringham Fire northward

Bringham Fire – June 18, 2020 Daily Update

Acres: 17,423

Jurisdiction: Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest, Clifton Ranger District

Resources: 2 hotshot crews, 2 Type 2 initial attack crews, 3 Type 3 engines, 4 Type 6 engines, 6 water tenders, 1 dozer, 1 Type 1 helicopter, 1 Type 2 helicopter, 1 Type 3 helicopter, miscellaneous overhead

Start Date: June 6, 2020

Percent Containment: 5%

Origin Location: 22 miles north of Morenci, AZ

Cause: Lightning

Personnel: 315

Strong winds challenged firefighters on Wednesday afternoon as fire spread further north off Red Mountain and down into the southwestern side of Strayhorse Canyon. Smoke was more visible than it has been for the past several days, particularly in the afternoon when temperatures and winds reached their peak. Despite the visible smoke column, the main fire did not advance beyond the firelines constructed earlier this week. Helicopters lent support to the crews on the ground by dropping water buckets on the most active portions of the fire. A small fire spotted across Strayhorse Canyon but was quickly extinguished by the water buckets. Rappelers worked throughout the night to contain the small lightning-caused Pinal Fire that ignited on Tuesday evening, and plan to hike out today to rejoin the Bringham Fire crews.

Although wind speeds are expected to decrease to 16-19 miles per hour (MPH) with gusts of 25 MPH, fire managers anticipate continued fire movement to the north and east. Incident Meteorologists from the National Weather Service predict that the atmosphere will become increasingly unstable throughout the day with increasing sunshine in the afternoon that could increase terrain-driven winds. With this expected fire spread, crews are working to protect structures by covering nearby cabins in aluminum wrap to shield from radiant heat and embers, if the fire were to move further in their direction. Fire activity has moderated along Highway 191, although the potential remains for hot spots to spread as conditions dry out later in the week.

For the protection of the public and our firefighters, Highway 191 is closed in both directions between Mile Marker 189 (just past Juan Miller Road) and Mile Marker 225 (Blue Vista). This closure will remain in place through June 21, 2020 and may be extended as firefighters continue to secure the road corridor. Fire personnel are using Highway 191 to travel to and from the incident, and to transport important supplies and equipment. Members of the public are advised to drive with caution and leave roadways clear for emergency vehicles and equipment to pass. More information can be found at https://azdot.gov/adot-news/us-191-closed-eastern-arizona-mountains-due-bringham-fire.

Fire Information Officers are available from 8:00AM to 8:00PM to respond to questions via phone at (928) 288-2154 or email at 2020.bringham@firenet.gov. Additional fire information can be found at the following links:

• InciWeb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6747/
• Facebook (updates and daily operational videos): https://www.facebook.com/apachesitgreavesnfs/
• Interactive Bringham Fire Map: http://www.fs.usda.gov/goto/BringhamFireWebMap
• Temporary Closure Order: https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/asnf/alerts-notices/?cid=stelprd3793918
• Southwest Region Smoke Outlook: https://wildlandfiresmoke.net/outlooks/SouthwesternRegion

SMOKE REPORT 6/18/20: Smoke this morning is heavy in the Tonto Basin area, as well as moving northeast through Heber-Overgaard and Saint Johns. Later this morning as smoke lifts out of the Tonto Basin, expect it to move into Payson and the Rim Country, resulting in moderate smoke impacts, before clearing later this afternoon. https://www.azdeq.gov/node/7077?fire=bushfire#BushFireTontoNF#BushFire#WildfireSmoke#AZSmokeReport