Single Publication

Acres: 11,162 
Start Date: July 11, 2024 
Location: South of Roosevelt Lake on the edge of the Superstition Wilderness 
Cause: Lightning 
Personnel: 348
Fuels: Tall Grass and Brush 
Containment: 40%
Resources: 7 Crews | 4 Engines | 7 Helicopters | 3 Bulldozers | 6 Water Tenders

Highlights: Fire crews with the assistance of heavy equipment and aircraft have made significant progress in securing the fires edge just south of the Tonto National Monument; south and east just past Forest Road 449 to the boundary of the Superstition Wilderness. 

Southwest Incident Team 3 will host a virtual public meeting to share information regarding the Black Fire on Friday, July 19 at 7:00. The meeting will be available to be viewed live on Facebook @TontoNationalForest.

Operations: Crews along with heavy equipment, where feasible, continue to secure the fires edge outside of the Superstition Wilderness. Smoldering and creeping fire behavior is expected to continue in the interior of the fire; as weather conditions are expected to be both hot and windy. The Black Fire was active Wednesday evening as thunderstorms with outflow and gusty erratic winds burned through Pinyon Juniper in the Cottonwood Canyon. Night crews monitored the fire’s activity in the wilderness as they patrolled the eastern edge of the fire. Today, crews will continue direct attack on the fire’s perimeter with ground and aerial resources, mainly on the northwest and southeast edge of the fire. Structure protection efforts continue south of State Route 188 at Quail Run, Spring Creek Ranch and residences.     

Weather: Hot and dry conditions persist across the area with afternoon highs ranging from 100 to 105 degrees with afternoon relative humidity dropping to around 15-20 percent. There will be a slight chance of thunderstorms late this afternoon and early evening, but the main concern will be gusty outflow winds up to 30 mph that could impact the fire. Mostly clear skies overnight with mainly drainage winds of 2-5 mph. Humidity recoveries expected to be around 35-40 percent.   

Smoke: There is moderate to heavy smoke present from the Black Fire as well as other fires in the area.  Individuals who are sensitive to smoke or have conditions aggravated by smoke are encouraged to take precautionary measures. An interactive smoke map at https://fire.airnow.gov/ allows you to zoom into your area to see the latest smoke conditions. 

Closures: The Tonto National Forest has issued a closure for land surrounding the Black Fire. 03-12-00-24-31_Black Fire_Closure_Order. Additionally, the Tonto National Monument is closed. National Park Service Alerts.

Evacuations: For current evacuation information please call Gila County Emergency Management at 928-910-4009 EXT 1 or visit the Gila County Government Facebook page at -  https://www.facebook.com/gilacountygovernment/

Safety: The health and safety of firefighters and the public are always the highest priority. Please avoid the area while crews conduct fire suppression operations. Citizens are urged to sign up for the Gila and Maricopa County Emergency Notification System. To learn more about the Arizona Emergency Information Network visit: https://ein.az.gov/ready-set-go.