Single Publication

Firefighters Reassigned to New Fires as Containment Increases 

Cottonwood Ridge Fire Quick Facts 

Acres: 345 

Cause: Lightning 

Containment: 95% 

Start Date: July 23, 2023 

Location: 4 miles south of Show Low, AZ 

Fuels: Timber, grass, brush 

Total personnel for all incidents: 232 

Sunday, the weather remained hot and dry with winds gusts up to 20 mph. Crews continued to repair the containment lines by turning over dirt to make sure there were no hot spots near the fire’s edge. The Spoon Fire is 80% contained, and the Cottonwood Ridge fire remains at 95% contained. 

There were no new fires reported on Sunday. Crews continued mopping up the fire on Chediski Mountain. A hand crew and a dozer worked around the perimeter looking for hot spots and heat sources. 

Cottonwood Ridge and Spoon fires: The excavators and hand crews continued repairing dozer lines and returning the land back to its natural state. On the Cottonwood Ridge fire crews are about 50% done with the repair process. Crews on the Spoon fire worked back up the hill from Carrizo Creek repairing the dozer line and have completed about 75 % of the work that needs to be completed. 

Weather: The forecast for Monday calls for a 50% chance of thunderstorms and a possibility of new lighting strikes. Firefighters will remain prepared to respond to any new fire starts. 

This will be the last update for Southwest Area Incident Management Team 5. The team will be turning management of these fires back to the Fort Apache Agency. The team would like to give a big thank you for allowing us to come into your community and we appreciate the warm welcome we received. 

More Information: For further updates regarding fires on the Fort Apache Reservation, please visit: 

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