Interactive map that shows the current stages of evacuation and where they are occurring. Map is updated in real time. 

News Release
BLM Arizona Strip District

Media Contact: Rachel T. Carnahan rcarnahan@blm.gov

August 10, 2023                                                                                                                       

BLM Arizona Strip District implements temporary closure

for public safety and Kane Fire suppression efforts

Closures are located south of Hwy 89A in House Rock Valley

ST. GEORGE, Utah—Due to the extreme fire conditions the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Arizona Strip District is implementing a temporary closure of BLM-managed lands south of Hwy 89A in House Rock Valley. To support full access for fire resources in continued Kane Fire suppression efforts and to ensure public safety, the closure will begin August 10, 2023, and will continue to the end of the incident.

This temporary closure includes both roads and areas within the boundary described below:

East of Kaibab National Forest, North Kaibab Ranger District

BLM Road D226 from Forest boundary to BLM Road D249

BLM Road D249 south to BLM 1049 (also known as Buffalo Ranch Road or BLM-8910)

BLM Road 1049 (Buffalo Ranch Road) southwest to Forest boundary.

The closure also applies to authorized special recreation permit holders. Private landowners will be allowed access to their property using the most direct route on established roads, and grazing permittees will be allowed access on established roads in the performance of permitted acts.

A detailed map of the closure area can be seen by clicking on the attachment or by looking in the maps section of Inciweb.

For Kane Fire updates follow the Southwest Area Incident Management Team:

Inciweb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident-information/azknf-kane-fire

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KaibabNF

Kaibab NF website: https://www.fs.usda.gov/main/kaibab/home

Twitter: https://twitter.com/KaibabNF

Email: 2023.kane@firenet.gov • Phone: (928) 421-4983 • Office Hours: 8:00am–8:00pm

Fire start date:   August 5, 2023 

Fire size today:   1,225 acres 

Containment:   0% 

Location:  13 miles Northeast of Pagosa Springs, Colorado 

Personnel:   39        

Cause:    Lightning   

Management:   Suppression 

Evacuation Information: 

There are no current evacuations. Local residents should follow incident information for updates.  

Closures: 

• Quartz Meadows Rd (NFSR#685) 

• Quartz Ridge Trail (NFST#570)  

• Quartz Creek Trail (NFST#571) 

Latest Smoke Outlook:  

https://outlooks.wildlandfiresmoke.net/outlook/933fc4e4  

INCIDENT OBJECTIVES: 

• Firefighter and Public safety will be the highest priority throughout all phases of the incident.  

• To protect private lands within East Fork San Juan River drainage, critical infrastructure including powerlines and gas utility lines, as well as natural resources, cultural and historic sites, and recreation assets. 

Fire behavior moderated yesterday thanks to cloud cover and higher relative humidity. Spot fires were discovered on the east side of Quartz Creek. Firefighters Are assessing the viability of going direct on these spot fires to maintain Quartz Creek as a holding feature. Aviation assets may be utilized to support ground firefighters in this area, along with aerial supervision as needed. The fire area in the South San Juan Wilderness is extremely steep and heavily loaded with dead timber both standing and down; this elevates the risk to firefighters and aviators. A National Incident Management Organization Team will assume command of the incident August 12th at 0600, providing additional capacity and oversight. 

YESTERDAY’S ACCOMPLISHMENTS: 

• Ground fire resources continued to directly monitor fire growth and directional spread. San Juan Type 3 incident Management Team (IMT) worked with local cooperators to develop long-term, strategic plans for fire suppression. 

• Fire managers developed plans for when the fire reaches terrain more favorable for engagement, including Quartz Meadow. 

TODAY’S PLAN: 

• Resources plan to assess the spot fires found on the east side of Quartz Creek. If they can safely be suppressed, this would maintain Quartz Meadow as a holding feature and keep fire on the west side of the valley. 

• Crews will perform fire mitigation for exposed sections of the Xcel Energy gas pipeline, located to the north of the fire along Forest Road 667. 

• IMT operational leadership will recon the fire area with aviation resources assigned to the fire, developing real-time situational awareness. 

• Continue to develop Management Action Points, which are clearly specified incident conditions that, when reached, prompt a predefined fire management action or trigger the implementation of new strategies/tactics. 

• Communicate with landowners, affected utilities, and county stakeholders. 

WEATHER: 

The weather trend includes increasing chances of rain showers. Lower temperatures and higher humidities are expected, as are scattered showers and thunderstorms. These storms are not expected to produce significant rain, rather gusty outflow winds and lightning are the concerns for firefighters. 

Smoke Outlook

Northern-Central New Mexico 

Fire
Black Feather Fire...classic monsoon pattern more typical of the first half of August will bring increasingly moist, favorable weather conditions and much needed rainfall to active fires within the outlook area through week’s end into early next week. This includes the Black Feather Fire area. The period from Saturday through Monday looks especially wet with scattered to numerous showers and slow-moving thunderstorms. This multi-day fire-slowing pattern will significantly reduce fire activity and smoke.

Smoke
The Black Feather Fire had limited smoke production on Wednesday and that trend should continue today. Smoke impacts for nearby communities immediately east and north of the fire’s perimeter may briefly exceed MODERATE levels to include Mesa Pinebetal and Mesa Poleo through Friday morning, as daytime transport winds remain from the west and northwest. Some light to moderate nighttime smoke may settle and impact parts of NM 96 during the next 24 hours. Elsewhere, smoke impacts will continue to be limited near the American Mesa Fire. Fires to the north and northwest of New Mexico will continue to contribute to haze/light smoke aloft at times that should also diminish going into Friday.

CENTRAL UTAH INTERAGENCY  FIRE - Thompson Ridge Fire Incident Update

Release Date: August 1O'h, 2023 12:00 p.m.

Media CONTACT: Kylee Stott (385) 272-3894

Current Fire Situation: 

Fire activity moderated yesterday, due to cooler temperatures and increased humidity. The fire saw minimal growth, and smoke impacts to surrounding areas significantly decreased compared to previous days. Crews were able to successfully construct direct dozer and hand line on the eastern flank of the fire. Retardant drops and helicopter bucket drops were utilized to help strengthen fire perimeter on the north section of the fire.  

Expected weather for today is calling for monsoonal moisture to push north over the fire with increasing humidities and the chance for precipitation. Today, firefighters will continue to identify and implement tactics looking to provide a stronger anchor point. Inaccessible and remote areas of the fire will be scouted for access and control options, based on safety of firefighting personnel.  

A Great Basin Type 2 Incident Management Team has been ordered and will take command of the fire within the next 2 operational periods.

Start Date: August 4, 2023

Incident Type: Wildfire

Size: 7,289 acres

Cause: Lightning

Containment: 0%

Location: 10 miles southeast of Beaver, Utah

Terrain: Steep, rugged terrain in remote areas transitioning to rolling pinyon juniper hills

Structures Threatened: None

Resources: Engines: 9, Water Tenders: 1, Crews: 6, Helicopters: 4, Dozers: 3 and Total Personnel: 191

Evacuations: None at this time.

Closures: Fire Area, Road, and Trail Closure in Effect - NFS Roads-SR 153,137, 1012, 140,121, and 516 NFS Trails - PST 068, PST 008, PST32, and PST 34. 

Fire activity moderated yesterday, due to cooler temperatures and increased humidity. The fire saw minimal growth, and smoke impacts to surrounding areas significantly decreased compared to previous days. Crews were able to successfully construct direct dozer and hand line on the eastern flank of the fire. Retardant drops and helicopter bucket drops were utilized to help strengthen fire perimeter on the north section of the fire.  

Expected weather for today is calling for monsoonal moisture to push north over the fire - increasing humidities and the chance for precipitation. Today, firefighters will continue to identify and implement tactics looking to provide a stronger anchor point. Inaccessible and remote areas of the fire will be scouted for access and control options, based on safety of firefighting personnel.  

A Great Basin Type 2 Incident Management Team has been ordered and will take command of the fire within the next 2 operational periods.

DELTA JUNCTION AREA FIRE UPDATE

Thursday August 10, 2023

Fire Info number: 541-977-2756 / AkFireInfo.com / Facebook: AK.Forestry Twitter: @AK_Forestry / YouTube: AlaskaDNRDOF

Pogo Mine Road Fire (#191) - 42,000 acres, 32 personnel

Firefighters remain engaged in protecting structures within close proximity of the fire. North Pacific Type 2 handcrew, two dozers, and Alaska DOF personnel continue securing the fire perimeter to safeguard private residences and infrastructure. Fire personnel utilized helicopters and boats to secure remote structures.

The southwest portion of the fire continues to actively burn south towards Quartz Lake and west towards the Richardson Highway. In order to slow the spread and keep the southern perimeter in check, helicopters and Canadair CL-415 (Superscoopers) dropped water.

The fire was moderately active Wednesday with creeping and smolder in the duff, and active surface fire with isolated torching in some areas. The location is currently less than three miles from Quartz Lake, and in some places less than one mile to the Richardson Highway.

Mount Hayes Fire (#299) - 7,000 acres, 29 personnel

Fire activity was minimal Wednesday with smoldering and creeping through surface fuels. The area experienced less smoke impact with clear visibility and partly sunny skies in the afternoon. Franco Type 2 crew from Oregon arrived Wednesday and are tasked with installing a hoselay on the dozer line and supporting control lines. Dozers also helped create a larger defensible space buffer around the AT&T communications tower located north of the fire.

When completed, a primary and an alternate dozer line supported by hoselays will be in place from the Bison Fields to the Gerstle River. These lines were constructed for a control feature to keep the fire from moving north. Managers are planning a firing operation for multiple resource objectives, which include preventing the fire from reaching the Alaska Highway and impacting infrastructure and private farmlands.

This fire is burning on military and state lands in the Gerstle River Arctic Test Site area. Management objectives are to keep the fire South of Gerstle Field System and Bison Trail, east of Sawmill Creek, and west of the Gerstle River.

Unstaffed Fires: Delta Fire (#221) - 46,612 acres , Ponds Fire (#302) - 9,163 acres

(MOCLIPS, Wash.) – The Margarita Fire started August 2nd at approximately 12:30am on the Quinault reservation, 1.5 miles NE of Moclips. It is mostly burning in a timber sale unit that is a mix of cedar slash and standing trees, surrounded by heavy timber. Western Washington Type 3 Incident Management Team assumed command of the fire on August 4th.

Today will be the last day that the Western Washington Incident Management Team is in command of the fire.

Tomorrow morning, the Quinault Fire Department will assume command of the fire and approximately 61 personnel that will remain assigned. Over the past eight days, firefighters have worked hard to meet the standards for returning the fire to local management. They have worked diligently and safely, with no injuries and no lost structures. They have minimized the loss of timber and damage to natural resources in the fire area.

Last night, the Quinault Police Department lowered the evacuation warning for Quinault Village, also known as Moclips Estates, to a Level 1 – Get Ready. Residents should: stay alert for more information; keep emergency supplies and key belongings in a safe place; and plan escape routes, making sure all household members know the plan of action if conditions change.

The fire is currently 61 acres and 100% contained. This means the fire line completed around the fire can reasonably be expected to stop the fire’s spread. An infrared flight detected a substantial reduction in hot spots along the south side of the fire. Crews yesterday installed portable water tanks and a hose lay along the east edge of the fire and began to “backhaul” some hoses and other equipment that are no longer needed. These will be serviced and re-deployed to another incident. Some personnel will continue to demobilize today and tomorrow as fire officials right-size resources relative to fire suppression needs. As of yesterday evening, 97 people, 9 engines, a water tender, a dozer, and two helicopters were working on the Margarita Fire.

The objective today is to continue working toward fully controlling the fire. Meaning, where it is safe to do so, crews will continue to extinguish any hot spots that could pose a threat to fire containment. In the coming weeks, those in the area will continue to see smoke, fire personnel, and equipment. Firefighters will continue work on mop up, suppression repair, and patrolling the fire. Suppression repair is returning the disturbed areas,

including fire lines and staging areas, to as natural a state as is practicable. This minimizes future damages due to erosion. The fire may continue to burn in some interior areas until a “season-ending event” which is rainfall sufficient to fully extinguish the remaining hot spots.

Weather today is forecast to be cloudy in the morning, becoming mostly sunny around noon. The predicted high temperature is 69 degrees. Light west winds are predicted at 8-12 mph in the afternoon.

This will be the last daily update from WWIMT. For Quinault Nation residents, brief informational updates will continue through internal channels for the next several days as Quinault Fire Department continues to suppress the fire. For those elsewhere in the county, please contact Grays Harbor County Emergency Management with any questions at (360) 249-3911.

Chipping operations have been completed and highway 191 was reopened at 8:00pm on August 11th.

DELTA JUNCTION AREA FIRE UPDATE

Thursday August 10, 2023

Fire Info number: 541-977-2756 / AkFireInfo.com / Facebook: AK.Forestry Twitter: @AK_Forestry / YouTube: AlaskaDNRDOF

Pogo Mine Road Fire (#191) - 42,000 acres, 32 personnel

Firefighters remain engaged in protecting structures within close proximity of the fire. North Pacific Type 2 handcrew, two dozers, and Alaska DOF personnel continue securing the fire perimeter to safeguard private residences and infrastructure. Fire personnel utilized helicopters and boats to secure remote structures.

The southwest portion of the fire continues to actively burn south towards Quartz Lake and west towards the Richardson Highway. In order to slow the spread and keep the southern perimeter in check, helicopters and Canadair CL-415 (Superscoopers) dropped water.

The fire was moderately active Wednesday with creeping and smolder in the duff, and active surface fire with isolated torching in some areas. The location is currently less than three miles from Quartz Lake, and in some places less than one mile to the Richardson Highway.

Mount Hayes Fire (#299) - 7,000 acres, 29 personnel

Fire activity was minimal Wednesday with smoldering and creeping through surface fuels. The area experienced less smoke impact with clear visibility and partly sunny skies in the afternoon. Franco Type 2 crew from Oregon arrived Wednesday and are tasked with installing a hoselay on the dozer line and supporting control lines. Dozers also helped create a larger defensible space buffer around the AT&T communications tower located north of the fire.

When completed, a primary and an alternate dozer line supported by hoselays will be in place from the Bison Fields to the Gerstle River. These lines were constructed for a control feature to keep the fire from moving north. Managers are planning a firing operation for multiple resource objectives, which include preventing the fire from reaching the Alaska Highway and impacting infrastructure and private farmlands.

This fire is burning on military and state lands in the Gerstle River Arctic Test Site area. Management objectives are to keep the fire South of Gerstle Field System and Bison Trail, east of Sawmill Creek, and west of the Gerstle River.

Unstaffed Fires: Delta Fire (#221) - 46,612 acres, Ponds Fire (#302) - 9,163 acres