Backbone Fire Morning Update for June 21, 2021

Backbone Fire Morning Update June 21, 2021

Acres: 32,757 acres
Percent Containment: 0%
Start Date: June 16, 2021
Cause: Lightning
Origin Location: Approximately 12 miles west of Pine and Strawberry, Arizona
Fuels: Pinyon Juniper, Chaparral, Brush, Grass, Cactus
Personnel Assigned: 334 

Backbone Fire Community Meeting tonight at the Payson High School Auditorium 
There will be a community meeting tonight, Monday June 21, 2021 at 5:30 pm at the Payson High School Auditorium, 301 S. McLane Road, Payson Arizona.  The meeting will be open to the public and live streamed on the Incident Facebook Page

Dry conditions persist allowing for active to extreme burning conditions.  On the eastern side of the fire, firefighters and equipment will continue to construct and improve the community protection line around Strawberry.  Structure protection crews are working to protect values at risk and assess hazards in the communities of Strawberry and Pine.  Aircraft will be utilized to prevent the fire from establishing in Hardscrabble Canyon.  On the western side of the fire firefighters and heavy equipment are working to keep the fire east of the Verde River and surrounding subdivisions.

Public Land Closures:  An emergency area fire closure has been issued to protect public health and safety from fire activities.  All Tonto, Coconino, and Prescott National Forest lands, roads, and trails in the area of the Backbone Fire are closed. Full details of area and road closures are available on the Backbone Fire Inciweb page at: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7545/

Road Closures: State Route 260 is closed between Camp Verde and state Route 87. State Route 87 is closed north of Payson to Clints Well. Motorists are advised to visit https://www.az511.com for current road closures before traveling.

APS is working closely with the agencies responding to the Backbone Fire. While APS doesn’t t currently anticipate a disruption in service, the fire’s progress is being monitored in the event there is a need to take power lines out of service to protect firefighters and/or the fire or smoke impacts to electrical infrastructure. Customers can visit aps.com/outagecenter for information on how to be prepared for an outage and to view the APS outage map.

Weather: Temperatures will remain well above normal and are exceeding 100 degrees with single-digit humidity.  Southwest winds will increase during the day with gusts of 20 to 25 mph possible.

Evacuations: Evacuation orders were issued for the communities of Pine and Strawberry. Residents and visitors should contact their county or visit https://ein.az.gov/ready-set-go for information regarding evacuation status.

No Drone Zone:  A temporary flight restriction remains in place over the Backbone Fire.

Fire Danger Remains Extreme.  All State Trust Land, Prescott, Tonto, and Coconino National Forests are under Stage II Fire Restrictions.  Please use caution when recreating or working outdoors. Check for fire restrictions or information on fire activity around Arizona at: https://wildlandfire.az.gov/ 

Backbone Fire Information 

• Phone: (928) 362-4088   

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BackboneFireInfo/ 

• Inciweb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7545/  

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/backbone_fire