WHITE MOUNTAIN ZONE
Incident Management Team
Ben Plumb – Incident Commander
 
Persistent Drought Conditions Fuel Fires Growth
Thursday, May 27, 2021

Location of Origin: 25 miles southeast of Whiteriver, Arizona
Start Date: May 23, 2021 
Size: 1,561 Acres
Cause: Under investigation
Percent Contained: 0
Personnel: 122
Fuels: Timber, Brush, Tall Grass
Resources Assigned: 3 type 6 Engines, 3 Interagency Hotshot Crews, 1 type 2 Crew, 3 Water Tenders, 1 type 1 Helicopter, 2 type 3 Helicopters, 1 Dozer, and other miscellaneous incident management overhead.

Operations: Drought conditions and extremely low fuel moistures aided in the spread of the fire yesterday, progressing over a mile, and mostly to the north and up McDonald Creek. One of the primary objectives is to keep fire on the north side of the Black River. Firefighters will continue to scout the road systems for establishing direct and indirect options and will look for opportunities to secure the fires edge down into the Black River today.

Alerts: The Fort Apache Indian Reservation enacted modified stage 2 fire restrictions yesterday, prohibiting all campfires from 7:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. Find out more about these fire restrictions on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/BIAFAAFireMgt/.

Closures: To ensure the safety for both firefighters and the public, the junction at Y70/Y30, the Y40/Y70 junction, and everything south of Maverick and Tonto Lake is temporarily closed. The public is urged to drive with caution on the Y70 road due to logging truck traffic and timber operations.  

Safety: Smoke may be visible along U.S. 260 and 60 and in nearby communities to the north and north-east. Smoke-sensitive individuals and people with respiratory or heart disease are encouraged to take precautionary measures.

Weather: Today’s forecast is calling for mostly sunny skies, with a high near 80 degrees and expected wind gusts up to 18 mph in the afternoon.

Values at risk: Fire fighter and public safety are the highest priorities for the incident management team. The McDonald Tank fire area includes important lands to the White Mountain Apache people. Firefighters are working to protect the Ten O’ Diamonds Ranch House and other historical structures, commercial timberlands, critical watersheds,  riparian areas, rangelands, and recreation and wilderness areas.

Official fire information can be found on these sites.

• Inciweb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7501/ 
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BIAFAAFireMgt/ 
• Apache-Sitgreaves website: https://www.fs.usda.gov/news/asnf/news-events 
• ADEQ Air Quality Information: https://azdeq.gov/node/7077

WHITE MOUNTAIN ZONE Incident Management Team

Ben Plumb – Incident Commander
 

White Mountain Zone Team Assumes Command of McDonald Tank Fire

Wednesday, May 26, 2021
 

Location of Origin: 25 miles southeast of Whiteriver, Arizona

Start Date: May 23, 2021

Size: 630 Acres

Cause: Under investigation

Percent Contained: 0

Personnel: 159

Fuels: Timber, Brush, Tall Grass

Resources Assigned: 2 type 6 Engines, 4 Interagency Hotshot Crews, 1 type 2 Crew, 2 Water Tenders, 2 type 1 Helicopters, 1 type 3 Helicopter, and other miscellaneous incident management overhead.

The McDonald Tank fire transitioned from a Type-4 organization to a Type-3 complexity fire when the White Mountain Zone Incident Management Team assumed command at 6:00 p.m. yesterday.

Operations: The McDonald Tank fire is burning south of Tonto Lake near the Black River on the Fort Apache Indian Reservation. The location is steep and rugged and presents challenges to firefighting efforts. Fire crews today will look for opportunities to construct fire lines where it safe to do so and will deploy strategies to protect the values at risk.

Alerts: The Fort Apache Indian Reservation will enact modified stage 2 fire restrictions starting today, prohibiting all campfires from 7:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. Find out more about these fire restrictions on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/BIAFAAFireMgt/.

Closures: There are no current road closures, however, some closures are pending to ensure the safety for both firefighters and the public.

Weather: Today’s forecast is calling for mostly cloudy skies, with a high near 82 degrees and expected wind gusts as high as 23 mph.

Values at risk: Fire fighter and public safety are the highest priorities for the incident management team. The McDonald Tank fire area includes important lands to the White Mountain Apache people. Firefighters are working to protect the Ten O’ Diamonds Ranch House, commercial timberlands, watersheds,  riparian areas, rangelands, heritage sites, and recreation and wilderness areas.

Safety: Smoke may be visible along U.S. 260 and 60 and in nearby communities to the north and north-east. Smoke-sensitive individuals and people with respiratory or heart disease are encouraged to take precautionary measures.

Official fire information can be found on these sites.

• Inciweb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7501/  

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

• Apache-Sitgreaves website: https://www.fs.usda.gov/news/asnf/news-events  

• ADEQ Air Quality Information: https://azdeq.gov/node/7077

Alpine, AZ, May 30, 2021 - The Boggy Creek fire is in steep rugged terrain in an area with heavy dead and down snags. The fire is located within the Wallow Fire scar and is a full suppression fire.

Size: 2945 acres                                                                   Containment: 70%

Incident Start Date: May 23, 2021                              Cause: Lightning

Location: 15 Miles SW of Alpine, AZ

Total Personnel: 51

Fire Update: This will be the last daily Boggy Creek fire update unless there are significant changes. A final update will be released once the fire has been fully contained. Crews will continue to monitor and patrol the area. Small pockets of interior fuels (grass and logs) are anticipated to put up smoke as they are consumed.

Smoke: Smoke from the Boggy Fire may impact Alpine, Nutrioso, and Springerville. An interactive smoke map at https://fire.airnow.gov/ allows you to search for current smoke information. Smoke should dissipate with little impact to local communities.

Closures and Evacuations: There are currently no closures or evacuations in place.

For information on the Boggy Creek fire visit https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7499/

Alpine, AZ, May 30, 2021 - The Boggy Creek fire is in steep rugged terrain in an area with heavy dead and down snags. The fire is located within the Wallow Fire scar and is a full suppression fire.

Size: 2945 acres                                                                   Containment: 70%

Incident Start Date: May 23, 2021                              Cause: Lightning

Location: 15 Miles SW of Alpine, AZ

Total Personnel: 51

Fire Update: This will be the last daily Boggy Creek fire update unless there are significant changes. A final update will be released once the fire has been fully contained. Crews will continue to monitor and patrol the area. Small pockets of interior fuels (grass and logs) are anticipated to put up smoke as they are consumed.

Smoke: Smoke from the Boggy Fire may impact Alpine, Nutrioso, and Springerville. An interactive smoke map at https://fire.airnow.gov/ allows you to search for current smoke information. Smoke should dissipate with little impact to local communities.

Closures and Evacuations: There are currently no closures or evacuations in place.

For information on the Boggy Creek fire visit https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7499/  for more information on the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests, check out our website at www.fs.usda.gov/asnf.                                                                                  

for more information on the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests, check out our website at

www.fs.usda.gov/asnf.                                                                                  

Alpine, AZ, May 29, 2021 - The Boggy Creek fire is in steep rugged terrain in an area with heavy dead and down snags. The fire is located within the Wallow Fire scar and is a full suppression fire.

Size: 2945 acres                                                                   Containment: 65%

Incident Start Date: May 23, 2021                              Cause: Lightning

Location: 15 Miles SW of Alpine, AZ

Total Personnel: 55

Fire Update: Boggy Creek fire containment increases and remains within constructed lines. Crews will continue to monitor and patrol the area. Small pockets of interior fuels (grass and logs) will continue to put up smoke as they are consumed. There will continue to be a presence on the fire throughout the weekend and crews will be available to respond to any new starts.  

Smoke: Smoke from the Boggy Fire may impact Alpine, Nutrioso, and Springerville. An interactive smoke map at https://fire.airnow.gov/ allows you to search for current smoke information. Smoke should dissipate with little impact to local communities.

Closures and Evacuations: There are currently no closures or evacuations in place.

For information on the Boggy Creek fire visit https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7499/  for more information on the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests, check out our website at www.fs.usda.gov/asnf.                                                                                   

Alpine, AZ, May 28, 2021 - The Boggy Creek fire is in steep rugged terrain in an area with heavy dead and down snags. The fire is located within the Wallow Fire scar and is a full suppression fire.

Size: 2945 acres                                                                   Containment: 35%

Incident Start Date: May 23, 2021                              Cause: Lightning

Location: 15 Miles SW of Alpine, AZ

Total Personnel: 55

Fire Update: Acreage decreased due to more accurate mapping. Crews were successful holding containment lines yesterday and will continue to mop up and monitor today. Fire managers will begin to downsize the amount of personnel on the fire this afternoon. Remaining crews will patrol the area as the heavy dead and down logs consume and put up smoke. There will continue to be a presence on the fire throughout the weekend and crews will be available to respond to any new starts.

Aircraft will continue to support crews as needed.

Smoke: Smoke from the Boggy Fire may impact Alpine, Nutrioso, and Springerville. An interactive smoke map at https://fire.airnow.gov/ allows you to search for current smoke information. Smoke should dissipate with little impact to local communities.

Closures and Evacuations: There are currently no closures or evacuations in place.

For information on the Boggy Creek fire visit https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7499/  for more information on the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests, check out our website at www.fs.usda.gov/asnf.                                                                                   

Alpine, AZ, May 27, 2021 - The Boggy Creek fire is in steep rugged terrain in an area with heavy dead and down snags. The fire is located within the Wallow Fire scar and is a full suppression fire.

Size: 3000 acres                                                                  Containment: 35%

Incident Start Date: May 23, 2021                              Cause: Lightning

Location: 15 Miles SW of Alpine, AZ

Total Personnel: 55

Fire Update: Crews completed burnout operations and will continue to hold, monitor and mop up containment lines. Interior unburned islands of fuel will continue to burn. Minimal fire behavior was observed with fire backing, creeping, and smoldering moving slowing through the grass and consuming downed logs.

Aircraft will continue to support crews as needed.

Smoke: Smoke from the Boggy Fire may impact Alpine, Nutrioso, and Springerville. An interactive smoke map at https://fire.airnow.gov/ allows you to search for current smoke information. Smoke should dissipate with little impact to local communities.

Closures and Evacuations: There are currently no closures or evacuations in place.

For information on the Boggy Creek fire visit https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7499/  for more information on the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests, check out our website at www.fs.usda.gov/asnf.                                                                                   

Alpine, AZ, May 26, 2021 - The Boggy Creek fire is in steep rugged terrain in an area with heavy dead and down snags. The fire is located within the Wallow Fire scar and is a full suppression fire.

Size: 540 acres                                                                     Containment: 0%

Incident Start Date: May 23, 2021                              Cause: Lightning

Location: 10 miles northwest of Hannigan Meadows

Total Personnel: 55

Fire Update: Low to moderate fire behavior has been observed. The fire is moving along the ground with no running fire mostly creeping and smoldering.

Crews successfully conducted burnout operations yesterday, finishing up the firing west on County Road 25 to the junction of Forest Service Road 601. Today firefighters will finish bringing fire south on the Forest Service Road 601. Once burnout operation have been completed, crews will be hold and secure as needed. The burnout operation will reduce fuel loading and allow firefighters to work towards containment. Aircraft will continue to support crews as needed.

Smoke: Smoke from the Boggy Fire may impact Alpine, Nutrioso, and Springerville. An interactive smoke map at https://fire.airnow.gov/ allows you to search for current smoke information.

Closures and Evacuations: There are currently no closures or evacuations in place.

For information on the Boggy Creek fire visit https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7499/  for more information on the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests, check out our website at www.fs.usda.gov/asnf.                                                                                  

Alpine, AZ, May 25, 2021 - The Boggy Creek fire is in steep rugged terrain in an area with heavy dead and down snags. The fire is located within the Wallow Fire scar and is a full suppression fire.

Size: 70 acres                                                                        Containment: 0%

Incident Start Date: May 23, 2021                                  Cause: Lightning

Location: 10 miles northwest of Hannigan Meadows

Total Personnel: 50

Fire Update: Low to moderate fire behavior has been observed. The fire is moving along the ground with no running fire mostly creeping and smoldering. The acreage increase is due to dry weather conditions and being in a remote location for firefighters to work safely in.

Crews were able to secure an anchor point on the fire yesterday on the southern end and will be looking for opportunities to corral the fire to the north, east, and western sides of the fire using existing road networks where they can safely engage with operations. Prepping for burn out operation will continue today. The burnout operation will reduce fuel loading and allow firefighters to work towards containment. Aircraft will continue to support crews as needed.

Smoke: Smoke from the Boggy Fire may impact Alpine, Nutrioso, and Springerville. An interactive smoke map at https://fire.airnow.gov/ allows you to search for current smoke information.

Closures and Evacuations: There are currently no closures or evacuations in place.

For information on the Boggy Creek fire visit https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7499/  for more information on the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests, check out our website at www.fs.usda.gov/asnf.                                                                                  

 The Sycamore Canyon Fire Operational briefing video for May 31, 2021 is now available at https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/videos/7498/

  June 1, 2021 Daily Update