Official update *****6/19/16 at 2:48 pm*******
Fire activity has increased along the southern edge of the fire as predicted, specifically along the southeast and southwest flanks.
The fire remains north of Long Tom Canyon and west of Cedar Creek.
Meteorologists are predicting a shift in winds around 8pm from the current north/northwest direction back to the southern direction that we have seen throughout the past few days. This will potentially slow fire growth as the winds turn the fire back to areas that have already been burned
The fire is advancing south toward the Gila County line and the Carrizo and Cedar Creek communities, however, there are NO pre-evacuation notices for those communities at this time. Incident Management teams will continue to work with the White Mountain Apache Tribe to determine the best course of action.
The fire is also actively burning south along Hwy 60. Firefighters, in coordination with Navopache Electric, are looking for opportunities to conduct burnout operations along the highway. When they are able to conduct these operations, the electric cooperative may need to turn off the power line for a short time to provide for the safest possible environment for firefighters.
The Incident management team has ordered additional resources to assist in the continued firefighting efforts including 6 additional fire crews and additional aircraft