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To view a current map of the Castle Fire and find additional information, please visit
the fire’s InciWeb page at https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6439/.
For additional information, please contact the Castle Fire Information Center at (928) 643-8158 or (928) 643-8152.
Dry weather and high temperatures produce temporary increase in smoke from Castle Fire
FREDONIA, Ariz., August 20, 2019 --
With support from
recently added firefighting resources, Castle Fire crews yesterday continued to hold the fire within established boundaries, in spite of above average temperatures and low relative humidity. Crews were holding and patrolling the fire's perimeter as well
as extinguishing identified interior hot spots close to the perimeter. Although smoke could be seen from the fire all day, the smoke was being generated from interior pockets of previously unburned fuel that had ignited rather than from any increase in the
overall wildfire size.
Today, fire crews will continue to focus on patrolling and holding the fire while being vigilant to detect any spotting of embers across fire lines. The additional resources who
arrived yesterday will again bolster patrolling and monitoring of the fire's perimeter. Another aerial reconnaissance was conducted yesterday, allowing fire managers to feel confident the Castle Fire is meeting the objective of functioning as a natural disturbance
within the ecosystem as it reduces accumulations of forest fuels such as dead and down vegetation and encroaching, unhealthy stands of piñon-juniper.
An area of focus for fire managers continues to be along the northern perimeter, where a deep canyon contains dense fuels that continue to burn intensely. Crews are monitoring this
area closely and will be working to mitigate fire intensity and extinguish any spotting that might occur.
Smoke is continuing to be visible from surrounding communities and is expected to settle in the valleys during
early morning and late evenings. Several wildfires are increasing in activity in the area given the dry and unseasonably warm conditions.
Please visit InciWeb
for information on all the current wildfires in northern Arizona and southern Utah.
For local air quality and related information, please visit the following websites:
www.airnow.gov or the
Smoke Management Division of the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality.
Soon after the Castle Fire started on July 12, fire managers pre-identified a planning area in which the lightning-caused wildfire would be allowed to
fulfill its natural role within a fire-dependent ecosystem. The fire has burned across the entire 19,368-acre planning area, burning through
a significant amount of dead and down trees and some mixed conifer species. However, pockets of unburned vegetation remain within the wildfire’s interior and may burn over the coming days. By allowing the wildfire to naturally burn through this area, the
ecosystem will become healthier and more resilient. A Closure Order remains in effect for the Castle Fire area:
https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6439/
CASTLE FIRE OVERVIEW
Kaibab National Forest information is available through the following sources:
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Attachment:
1650-1_d3_CastleFire_2019_0820.pdf
Description: 1650-1_d3_CastleFire_2019_0820.pdf
