SOUTHWESTERN-NEWS-RELEASE: Kaibab National Forest Information

["Banks, Jacqueline C -FS" <000001aecffecb35-dmarc-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Attached is today’s news release on the Castle Fire.

 

Jacqueline Banks Public Affairs Officer Forest Service Kaibab National Forest p: 928-635-8314 jacqueline.banks@xxxxxxxx 800 S. 6th Street Williams, AZ 86046 www.fs.usda.gov/kaibab Caring for the land and serving people

 

Fire Managers Anticipate No Additional Growth On Castle Fire

FREDONIA, Ariz., August 22, 2019 -- Over the last several days, crews have continued to reinforce all boundaries established for the Castle Fire, and fire managers do not anticipate any additional growth in acreage.

Today, firefighters will continue to monitor the wildfire, repair and rehabilitate areas where suppression actions were taken, mop up remaining hot spots near control lines, and clear hazardous snags and debris along roadways, including several within the perimeter.

Areas of unburned fuel remain within the fire's interior and may continue to be consumed in the coming weeks. Smoke may be visible from the Castle Fire until precipitation arrives. However, overall smoke impacts from the wildfire are expected to decrease significantly over the next week.

The Kaibab National Forest has allowed the lightning-caused Castle Fire to spread within a defined area in order to fulfill its natural role of reducing dense forest fuels and improving overall ecosystem health. The wildfire has now moved across the entire 19,368-acre planning area.

The Castle Fire has been burning in an area with dense mixed conifer, heavy fuel loading, and a significant amount of dead and down trees. The wildfire has helped meet a variety of resource objectives including restoring the forest structure to more historic conditions, reducing spruce and fir encroachment of area meadows, removing fuels that could feed future severe wildfires, and promoting aspen regeneration.

There are numerous wildfires currently burning throughout 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. Please visit InciWeb for more information on the Castle Fire and other fires in the area.  

A Closure Order remains in effect for the Castle Fire area: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6439/

 

CASTLE FIRE OVERVIEW

• Discovery Date: July 12, 2019.
• Cause: Lightning.
• Location (point of origin): Approximately 11 miles south of Jacob Lake, 3 miles west of Highway 67, and just east of Forest Road 761 near Oquer Canyon on the North Kaibab Ranger District of the Kaibab National Forest.
• Current Resources: 9 engines, 1 hand crew, 1 water tender, 1 dozer, and miscellaneous fire management personnel. Total personnel approximately 80.
• Current Size: About 19,368 acres within the 19,368 planning area. Pockets of unburned vegetation remain within the wildfire’s interior and may be consumed over the coming days.
• Predicted Smoke Impacts: Smoke is expected to be visible from both the north and south rims of Grand Canyon National Park, Jacob Lake, Highway 67, Highway 89A, Fredonia and Page. However, overall smoke impacts from the Castle Fire are expected to decrease significantly over the next week. To learn more about smoke and public health, visit http://bit.ly/SmokeHealthAwareness.
• Current Closures: The Kaibab National Forest has implemented a temporary Closure Order for the Castle Fire area in order to provide for public and firefighter safety.  For specific information about the Closure Order, please visit: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6439/.
• Recent and Current Operations: Fire crews will continue to patrol, monitor, mop up, and remove hazard trees over the next several days. A Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) is in place over the fire area. 

Kaibab National Forest information is available through the following sources:

 

• Castle Fire Inciweb Page: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6439/
• Kaibab National Forest Website: www.fs.usda.gov/kaibab 
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/KaibabNF 
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/KaibabNF
• Flickr: http://bit.ly/CastleFire2019

 

 

 

To manage your subscription visit http://www.fs.fed.us/news/subscription.shtml

Attachment: 1650-1_d3_CastleFire_2019_0822.pdf
Description: 1650-1_d3_CastleFire_2019_0822.pdf