Wildfire above Mogollon Rim helping to clean the forest
Clints Well, Ariz., May 23, 2017, For Immediate Release —
Fire personnel are managing a recent lightning-caused wildfire above Mogollon Rim, allowing it to fulfill its natural role and move across the landscape consuming dead and down wood, pine needles and forest fuels.
The Snake Ridge Fire, currently 125 acres, was called in by Baker Butte Lookout on Friday (5/19) and is located in a remote area approximately nine miles northwest of
Clints Well. This wildfire is not a prescribed burn, but fire personnel will occasionally conduct burnout operations in specific areas to keep the fire from moving beyond certain boundaries and help direct where and how the fire moves through the landscape.
A Type 3 Incident Management Team has been assigned to the fire, which includes approximately 90 firefighters and personnel. Today, firefighters are locating and mitigating
heavy fuels immediately adjacent to a powerline corridor in the area and monitoring fire progression and smoke impacts. They are also conducting burnout operations along Forest Road 81 near the powerlines in order to protect those lines from damage that could
be caused by the fire.
Smoke will be much lighter than that of a severe wildfire and is not expected to impact roadways. However, smoke will be visible in the area from Lake Mary Road, state
Routes 87 and 260, as well as Interstate 17.
The Snake Ridge Fire does not have a planned end date, but firefighters have determined an approximate 55,000-acre planning area within which the fire may run its natural
course. However, this does not mean the fire will move across all 55,000 acres, as specific edges of the fire will be suppressed to protect certain values such as public safety, private property, cultural sites, major transmission lines, trailheads, dispersed
camping sites and more. The wildfire will increase from its current size and is predicted to move across approximately 15,000 acres of land inside the determined planning area over the next two weeks as firefighters help direct where and how the fire moves
through the landscape.
The forest thrives on fires such as these that are low severity and move across the forest floor. They reduce fuels and the risk of severe wildfire, create safer conditions
for residents, the public and firefighters, and also restore wildlife habitat by stimulating understory vegetation growth.
For more information, details and the specific objectives for the Snake Ridge Fire, please visit
https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/unit/303/.
Quick updates will also be provided via Twitter at www.twitter.com/CoconinoNF
(@CoconinoNF), so please follow us if you would like to be updated as information is received. The public can report smoke impacts online at
www.tinyurl.com/cocosmokereport
and also sign up to receive news releases from Coconino National Forest at
www.tinyurl.com/coconewsrelease.
SNAKE RIDGE WILDFIRE SUMMARY
Reported:
May 19, 2017 at 3:02 p.m. by Baker Butte Lookout.
Cause: Lightning.
Location: About nine miles northwest of Clints Well; Latitude/longitude:
34 36.137, -111 27.430.
Size: 125 acres.
Resources: Fuels crew, two Hotshot crews, two engines, one dozer;
Approximately 90 firefighters.
Closures/Restrictions:
Currently, no main trails or roads are closed or restricted. However, closures and restrictions may change depending on the direction and movement of the fire.
Closures and/or restrictions will be updated on Inciweb at https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/unit/303/
as necessary, and signs will be placed in areas of closures/restrictions to notify the public.
Smoke Impacts: Smoke will be visible in the area from Lake Mary
Road, state Routes 87 and 260, as well as Interstate 17.
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USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
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Brady Smith, MBA
Public Affairs Officer
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Forest Service
Coconino National Forest,
Supervisor's Office
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p: 928-527-3490
bradysmith@xxxxxxxxx
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1824 S. Thompson Street
Flagstaff, AZ 86001
www.coconinonationalforest.us
  
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Caring for the land
and serving people
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