Southwest of Show Low and Pinetop-Lakeside, east of Highway 60 on the Fort Apache Indian Reservation
Start date: Wednesday, June 15, 2016
Cause: Undetermined
Size: Approximately 45,918 acres
Resources Assigned: 899 Personnel
US 60 is now open for public travel, however we urge all those traveling along US 60 to be cautious of the fire traffic and the possibility of wildlife moving in and out of the area. Please do not stop or attempt to make entry into the fire area. There will be an increase in the presence of law enforcement along this corridor to maintain safe traffic flow. Please use extreme caution, exercise patience and observe all traffic laws.
There will be a slight increase of relative humidity and calmer winds in the local area which will assist the firefighters in their efforts today. There will be a possibility of storms coming into the area mainly to the east of the fire area, be aware of the possibility of flooding.
As the security of the fire perimeter increases, the process of releasing fire resources has begun.
Pre-evacuation orders have been lifted for the Show Low, Pinetop-Lakeside, Hon Dah and McNary communities. The fire pre-evacuation orders for Cedar Creek and Carrizo communities have been changed to flooding pre-evacuation orders.
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.