9/19/16 2:32 pm
FULTON FIRE UPDATE 9/19/2016
Payson Ranger District: Andy Mandell, Incident Commander Central West Zone
E-mail: fultonfireinfo@gmail.com
Location: 28 miles east of Payson, AZ
South of State Highway 260
Start Date: September 12, 2016
Cause: Lightening
Size: 624 acres
Total Personnel: 265
Resources:
• Crews: 4 hotshot crews – 2 Type II crew
• Helicopters: 1 Type 3
• Engines: 10 Engines
• Dozers: 2

Payson, AZ – The Fulton Fire started with a lightning strike mid-slope on the Mogollon Rim near milepost 282 on Highway 260. The fire was inaccessible due to the rugged terrain. To provide for firefighter safety, fire managers chose to employ an indirect suppression approach. The rugged terrain and unique local weather patterns combine to create unique fire behavior that is not typically seen in other wildfire prone areas. The increased complexity with powerlines in the fire area has prompted forest officials to order up additional resources. Currently, the fire is being managed by a Type III team. The need for additional resources combined with the fire size dictates the need for a Type II team to assume control of this incident. Changing teams during a fire is normal as fire conditions change.
Although this incident does not warrant a Type I team, currently no Type II teams are available. John Truett Type I team will assume command of the Fulton fire this week. A community meeting is currently being planned for the community of Forest Lakes. Date and time to be determined.
If you wish to be on our mailing list for updates or have questions, please contact us at FultonFireInfo@gmail.com. Information can also be found at http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/.

Location:
 Black Mesa Ranger District
 Approximately 4 miles South of Chevelon Lake

Discovery Date: September 5, 2016
Size: Approximately 1,191 acres in size in light to medium fuels Percent Contained: 40%
Location: T12N/R14E/Sec 15 (East side of Slim Jim Canyon)
Cause: Lightning
Resources Assigned: one Type 6 Engine and Miscellaneous overhead
Summary: The Sam Jim Fire is burning in ponderosa pine with a grass understory and in mixed conifer. Resources were applied this past weekend to contain the fire on the east, west and south ends of the fire containing it within the boundary of FR 170. The north end of the fire is in steep canyon country with a high occurrence of snags. Fire fighter safety is our number one priority and placing them in steep unstable terrain could have adverse effects, so we will continue to monitor this area.
Smoke may be visible on Forest Roads 504 and 170 and also visible in the Forest Lakes and Heber-Overgaard areas. If you have any further questions please contact the Black Mesa Ranger District at (928) 535-7300.
Fire Information: Further information on this incident is available on 311 via your mobile device, landline 928.333.3412, Inciweb at http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5015/, https://twitter.com/A_SNFs and https://www.facebook.com/apachesitgreavesnfs.

9/18/16 1:26 PM
FULTON FIRE UPDATE 9/18/2016
Payson Ranger District: Andy Mandell, Incident Commander Central West Zone
Information Center: 928-474-7900
E-mail: fultonfireinfo@gmail.com
Location: 28 miles east of Payson, AZ
South of State Highway 260
Start Date: September 12, 2016
Cause: Lightening
Size: 175 acres
Total Personnel: 214
Resources:
• Crews: 4 hotshot crews – 1 Type II crew
• Helicopters: 1 Type 3
• Engines: 6 Engines
• Dozers: 2

Payson, AZ – Crews were well prepared for all events which occurred during Saturday’s operations. Black line construction continued along Highway 260 and the top of the Rim in conjunction with aerial ignitions. Increased fire activity was observed at lower elevations along the Rim face as fire dropped below mixed conifer fuels into primarily ponderosa pine. Some terrain driven spotting occurred within the Highway 260 corridor, prompting a brief highway closure which provided a safe zone for crews and aircraft to extinguish these spot fires. Crews worked through the night establishing additional black line along the top of the Rim.
APS released this news release last night: APS is working closely with the Forest Service to ensure the safety of first responders fighting the Fulton Fire near Payson. At approximately 8 a.m. today, APS will de-energize a power line in the area – allowing Forest Fire Managers and personnel on the ground to continue to battle the blaze without the added dangers of electricity. The planned outage will impact just over 900 customers in the community of Forest Lakes, and will be out until fire personnel have completed their work later that afternoon. APS customer associates are calling impacted residents to inform them of this outage. For more information on the status of the planned outage, visit aps.com/outage to view the APS Outage Map.
Sunday operations will continue to build on Saturday’s progress. Focus will be on powerline corridors. Arizona Public Service will be on site actively monitoring activities around the powerlines which pass through the fire zone.
Weather will remain the same through mid-day Monday. Moisture will begin moving back into the area late Monday with increasing chance of showers and thunderstorms Tuesday through Thursday.