Tusayan Ranger District wildfire managed for multiple objectives continues to grow due to dry conditions
Tusayan, Ariz., Aug. 6, 2015—For Immediate Release.
ROCK FIRE OVERVIEW
The lightning-caused wildfire on the Tusayan Ranger District
of the Kaibab National steadily grew yesterday with the aid of higher winds.
“This fire is being driven solely by the dry winds out of the west,” said Brandon
Oberhardt, incident commander. The 1,064-acre fire is located near Rock Lake
Pothole just south of the Coconino Rim about 15 miles southeast of the Town of
Tusayan. The wildfire, started by lightning July 31 and discovered by fire
managers Aug. 1, continues to benefit
the ecological balance of the forest by burning excess fuels at a low-to-moderate
level of intensity through an area dominated by ponderosa pine trees.
Today: Firefighter
strategy is to continue to monitor the fire, which has shown vigorous activity
due to the dry conditions, and to ensure that it maintains a steady, manageable
rate of spread as it increases in size. They will also continue to prepare
roads and fire sensitive resources in anticipation of the fire’s future growth.
The public is urged to use caution while driving near the fire area due to
reduced visibly from smoke, an increase in traffic due to fire equipment in the
area, and firefighters on foot removing fuel along the side of roads. There are
also ongoing road grading activities along Forest Road 310.
Smoke: Due to the cooler temperatures of the mornings, smoke remains close to the ground, hovering in the vicinity of the fire. By mid-day, the warmer temperatures and increased wind speeds are driving the smoke northeast over the Upper Basin and toward the Cameron and Tuba City area. Intermittent rain and thunderstorm activity are forecast for the next two days. However, the Rock Fire is expected to continue to burn actively and produce smoke that will be visible from Cameron, Tuba City,Valle and Highway 64. Smoke may sink overnight into Tappan Wash and potentially move toward Cameron.
Size: 1,064 acres
Start Date: July 31, 2015
Location: Near Rock Lake Pothole south of the Coconino Rim about 15 miles southeast of Tusayan
Additional Rock Fire information, photos and maps are available through the following resources: InciWeb http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/4448/#; Kaibab National Forest Fire Information Phone Line (928) 635-8311; Text Message – text ‘follow kaibabnf’ to 40404.
Attachment:
RockFire_8-6-15.pdf
Description: Adobe PDF document
Attachment:
Rock PIO map1_8-6-15.pdf
Description: Adobe PDF document
