377 Fire FINAL Update, June 7, 2018 P.M.

Discovered: Monday, June 4, 2018

Location:  5 miles northeast of Heber/Overgaard, Arizona

Percent contained:  70%

Size: 4,514 acres              

Cause: Human Caused                                                                            

Vegetation: Pinyon-Juniper, grass understory

Personnel Assigned: 111

Update: Despite strong sustained winds through the day fire lines surrounding the fire held strong. Flair-ups and single tree torching was observed within the interior of the fire; However, no significant threats to the line were detected.  Crews continued to reinforce, mop-up, monitor, and patrol the fire line throughout the day.

Friday morning, command of the fire will transition to a Type 4 Incident Command, James McLaughlin, Incident Commander (IC) and Sean Loscudo, IC Trainee.  Crews will continue to focus on mop-up, monitor, and patrol of the fire line.

This will be the final update issued by Chris Johnson’s White Mountain Zone Type 3 Incident Management Team.

Weather: Tomorrow’s weather will again be close to critical fire weather, with temperatures in the low 90s and daytime relative humidity in the single digits. Winds will be 10 to 15 miles per hour (mph) and gusts to 25 mph. 

Closures and Evacuations: Arizona State Route (SR) 377 between Holbrook and SR 277 is scheduled to re-open this evening at 8:00 p.m. with reduced speed limits through the fire zone.  Motorists are reminded to drive with extreme caution through the fire zone. Be alert for fire crews working along the shoulder as well as emergency vehicles entering the highway.  Visibility within the fire zone can drop to near zero without notice due to blowing dust, ash, and debris.  With the opening of SR 377, all closures and evacuations related to the 377 Fire have been lifted.

6/8/18 – Northeastern Arizona Public Information would like to remind all of our citizens and visitors that restrictions are still in place! The above flyers for unincorporated areas of Apache and Navajo Counties shows what is or is not permitted at this time. Many cities and towns have adopted similar restrictions while some that are not centered in the Wildland Urban Interface have not.

Understanding that there are variances between jurisdictions we suggest that you “Know Before You Go!” so that you are well informed. You can find more information for the various jurisdictions by checking the tab “Fire Restrictions, Closures and Maps“ tab on our home page or by visiting www.firerestrictions.us.

Discovered: Monday, June 4, 2018

Location:  5 miles northeast of Heber/Overgaard, Arizona

Percent contained:  55%

Size: 4833 acres

Cause: Human Caused

Vegetation: Pinyon-Juniper, grass understory

Personnel Assigned: 280

Update: Crews working on the 377 fire faced weather related challenges today including low humidity, gusty winds, blowing ash and debris, and frequent dust devils traveling through the fire zone. Observed fire behavior included single tree torching and multiple hot spot flair-ups in the interior portions of the fire.  Hotspots near the fire line were extinguished as they occurred as crews continued to secure and reinforce the fire line. Today’s efforts resulted in a significant increase in the containment percentage.

Two firefighters on the fire lines received minor injuries in separate events during today’s operational period. Each was transported to a local hospital, treated, and released.

Tomorrow crews will continue with reinforcement, mop-up, monitoring, and patrolling of the fire lines.

Weather: Tomorrow conditions will reach near critical fire weather with high temperatures in the high 80s, and daytime relative humidity down to 7%. Winds will be 15 to 20 miles per hour (mph) and gusts to 30 mph.

Closures and Evacuations: Arizona State Route 377 is closed from Holbrook to the State Route 277 Junction. State Route 277 is open in both directions with reduced speed limits through the fire zone.

InciWeb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5825/   

Web: www.fs.usda.gov/asnf

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/apachesitgreavesnfs

Twitter: @A_SNFs

Know Before You Go:

• Northeastern Arizona Public Information System: https://311info.net/ or call 311 or 928.333.3412
• Arizona Fire Restrictions: http://firerestrictions.us/az/