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Crews have started ignition on the Mountainaire Project south of Pulliam Airport, east of Mountainaire. Smoke will be noticeable from Flagstaff, I-17, and Lake Mary Road. Crews are also on scene of the Victorine Project, gathering on-the-ground weather information and conducting a test fire. Should all conditions still be favorable, they’ll continue with ignitions.
Brienne Magee Public Affairs Specialist Flagstaff Ranger District 5075 N Hwy 89 Flagstaff AZ 86004 Desk: 928.527.8290 Cell: 928.310.6035 bmagee@xxxxxxxxx
From:
Magee, Brienne U -FS
NEWS RELEASE U.S. Dept. of Agriculture U.S. Forest Service Coconino National Forest www.twitter.com/CoconinoNF www.flickr.com/photos/coconinonationalforest
For Immediate Release October 5, 2012
Public Affairs Contacts: Brienne Magee, Flagstaff Ranger District, 928-527-8290 Brady Smith, Coconino National Forest, 928-527-3490 Connie Birkland, Red Rock Ranger District, 928-203-7505
Prescribed burns planned near Flagstaff and Blue Ridge starting Tuesday
Flagstaff, AZ – No prescribed burning will occur Monday in observance of Columbus Day. Pending favorable conditions Tuesday, fire managers are planning to burn in the Mountainaire Project south of the Flagstaff Pulliam Airport, and the Victorine Project south of Highway 87 and the community of Blue Ridge.
Depending on precipitation in the forecast for the remainder of the week, fire managers on the Flagstaff District are looking at conducting burns in the Woody Ridge Project (off Woody Mountain Rd, southwest of Flagstaff), Mint Project (south of Mormon Lake off Lake Mary Road, approximately 25 miles south of Flagstaff), and/or the Eastside Project (southeast of Flagstaff off Hutton Ranch Road, and near the Heckethorn neighborhood off Lake Mary Rd). Fire managers on the Mogollon Rim District plan to continue efforts on the Victorine Project throughout the week, pending favorable conditions.
For Tuesday, October 9: Mountainaire Project – 325 acres approximately 2 miles south of the Flagstaff Pulliam Airport, 1.5 miles east of I-17, just east of the community of Mountainaire. Smoke is expected to disperse to the northeast and will be very noticeable from Flagstaff, I-17 near Kachina Village and Mountainaire, and Lake Mary Road. Overnight, smoke will settle in low-lying areas including Lake Mary Meadows off Lake Mary Road, Kachina Village, and Mountainaire. According to next week’s forecast, some precipitation is possible; should this develop Tuesday, fire managers may cancel this burn. Victorine Project – 500 acres located approximately 5 miles southeast of Highway 87, 8 miles northeast of Blue Ridge Reservoir. Smoke will disperse to the north. Overnight residual smoke may be noticeable in the Blue Ridge Communities. This is a maintenance burn, meaning this area has been previously treated with fire; fuel accumulation and thus smoke production, should be lighter.
All prescribed fire activity is dependent on personnel availability, weather – including winds and ventilation, and approval from the ADEQ (www.azdeq.gov).
Fire managers make every effort to minimize smoke impacts to the communities while continuing to address the critical need to reduce the risk of severe wildfires around those communities. Tactics to keep smoke impacts as minimal as possible include canceling approved burns when conditions aren’t favorable, finding alternative uses for the debris in slash piles, timing daytime ignitions to allow the majority of smoke time to disperse prior to settling overnight, and burning larger sections at a time when conditions are favorable to reduce the overall number of days smoke is in the area.
In addition, the Coconino National Forest coordinates prescribed fire plans with the partners of the Ponderosa Fire Advisory Council (which includes state and local fire departments), as well as neighboring forests, to reduce the impact of smoke on the communities.
The public can obtain additional prescribed fire information via the following:
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