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U.S. Forest Service
News Release
Media Contact: Bob Blasi
Bert Fire continues steady growth while improving forest health Williams, Ariz., June 2, 2016—For Immediate Release. The lightning caused Bert Fire continues to be active and is being allowed to burn naturally to improve forest health on the Williams Ranger District of the Kaibab National Forest.
At more than 213 acres in size, the fire is growing steadily while providing significant resource benefits, and fire managers anticipate that trend will continue given the drier weather pattern in place. “The Bert Fire is doing exactly what we hoped it would,” said Quentin Johnson,
incident commander for the Bert Fire. “It is backing through forest that needs to burn within the historic fire return interval. This frequency of fire on the landscape helps maintain a healthy
environment, and we are seeing the kinds of effects we want. The fire is cleaning up accumulated fuels and improving the overall condition of the forest.” Today, crews will continue with preparation work that will include securing Highway 180. A burn out operation will likely occur south of the highway over the next two days and will be visible from the corridor. A burn out operation is used
to create a safe “blackline” which is effective in stopping the advance of an approaching fire and keeping it within a designated area. Motorists are asked to use additional caution when driving through the fire area and reduce speeds when appropriate. As the Bert Fire continues its steady growth, smoke will be more obvious from surrounding areas. While smoke has largely been pushed toward the southeast away from developed areas, it is likely that increasing fire activity will lead to
a more noticeable column over the coming days. To view recent spherical panoramas of the Bert Fire and the area in which it is burning, visit
http://bit.ly/BertFire2016.
Additional fire information for the Kaibab National Forest can be obtained through the following sources: InciWeb
http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/4751/; Kaibab National Forest Fire Information Phone Line (928) 635-8311; Text Message – text ‘follow kaibabnf’ to 40404.
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Attachment:
1650_Bert Wildfire_2016_06_02.pdf
Description: 1650_Bert Wildfire_2016_06_02.pdf
