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Crews work of the road to keep the fire contained.
Photo taken in Buckhorn Fire perimeter on July 15, 2024.
Smoke column rising from an area of dense fuels within the Buckhorn Fire.
The Buckhorn Fire started on July 10, 2024, around 12:23 in the afternoon. Fire behavior remains active and growing. The fire has breached the Skyline Ridgeline and has reached the Black River. Aircraft and indirect attack methods are being utilized to contain fire spread.
Be Aware there is an area closure in effect along Black River.
| Current as of | Fri, 07/19/2024 - 13:18 |
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| Incident Time Zone | America/Phoenix |
| Incident Type | Wildfire |
| Cause | Lightning/Natural |
| Date of Origin | |
| Location | Northeast of Point of Pines Campground |
| Incident Commander | John Truett |
| Incident Description | Wildfire |
| Coordinates |
33° 34' 47'' Latitude
-109° 36' 25
'' Longitude
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| Total Personnel: | 127 |
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| Size | 1,006 Acres |
| Percent of Perimeter Contained | 10% |
| Estimated Containment Date | 9/14/2024 |
| Fuels Involved | Primary fuels carrying fire on the Buckhorn Fire are Ponderosa pine litter, short grass, and short brush. The pine is consistent in drainages as well as on northern aspects. Short brush including scrub oak (Gambel and Emory) and juniper brush are present on southern aspects intermixed with short grass and patches of bare rock. Several stringers of Arizona cypress are present in narrow chutes along the northern aspect of Bull Ridge. In the absence of strong sustained winds, such as outflow winds from nearby thunderstorms, the brush fields are not supporting active fire spread through backing or flanking behavior although preexisting fire can carry through the brush as a head fire from lower elevations. |
| Significant Events | Fire on the lower 1/3 of the northwestern perimeter of the Buckhorn Fire regained activity early in the burn period when fire established in the pine fuels between the Black River and toe of the slopes and continued flanking north through to mid-morning. Aviation was used to slow progression of the fire in this area to allow time for resources to complete a planned holding line to the north. Fire along the spine of Bull Ridge, established in a burnout the previous shift, slowly backed down the southern aspect towards the 2034 Road, aided by additional ignitions in the shrub fuels. In the early afternoon (1:00 pm to 2:00 pm), a cell built to the north and moved over the fire area bringing measurable rainfall and decreasing fire behavior throughout the fire area. |
| Planned Actions |
Continue to look for opportunities to minimize fire footprint while minimizing impact to values. Containment lines completed, firing operations completed and lines will be held. |
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| Projected Incident Activity |
12 hours: Fire behavior is expected to remain subdued throughout the evening and overnight hours due to recent precipitation, widespread cloud cover, and elevated humidity levels. 24 hours: Humidity is expected to remain near, or above, 70 percent over the fire area until after sunrise with cloud cover also remaining elevated overnight. This will likely result in a significant delay in onset of active fire behavior. Expected fire behavior through the active burn period is anticipated to remain smoldering and creeping for this shift due to very light predicted winds as well as early afternoon buildup originating from the White Mountains likely impacting the fire area. 48 hours: Early morning clear skies should allow firefighters to continue burning out the band of pine along the 2034 Road up to the 2030 Road completing the southern perimeter of the fire along control lines. Some backing down the northern aspect from fire established along Bull Ridge crest is expected, but inconsistent growth is anticipated due to discontinuous surface fuels connecting conifer stands. Continued flanking to the north along the Black River along the toe of adjacent slopes is expected. The northern planned control line will have been completed, prepped, and ready to burn out and fuels should be available to implement the burnout in the early afternoon. 72 hours: Burnouts along control lines and natural fire growth along the east side of the Black River are anticipated to be completed by the end of shift leaving pockets of unburned fuels within the interior of the fire area. Expect for slow gradual flanking of fire filling in the drainage bottoms between the primary ridges where pine stringers dominate the lowest 1/3 of the slopes on both the south and north aspects. Fire will carry intermittently in the brush along the middle 1/3 of the slopes. |
| Remarks |
Some resources are currently in the process of being reassigned from the Watch Fire. Containment decreases are due to fire growth and burnout operations from 7/ 17/24 operational period. |
| Weather Concerns | Showers and thunderstorms occurred in and around the Buckhorn Fire perimeter this afternoon. Rainfall amounts are light with generally less than one quarter inch. Rain, cooled air, and extensive clouds are holding temperatures down to the 60s after warming into the lower 80s earlier in the afternoon. The prevailing wind is south to southeast below 10 mph, but gusty and erratic winds are occurring in and around the thunderstorms. Subtle changes in the weather pattern will occur through early next week, lowering temperatures slightly and resulting in more clouds and daily rain chances. |
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