#WallowFire SITREP Morning Cooperators Meeting Eagar AZ 06/11/11

SITREP Morning Cooperators Meeting Eagar AZ 06/11/11
Reported by Doyel Shamley from Eagar

• We are at 6% containment in the North Zone.
• Last analysis of total acreage burned is at 410,000 acres.
• Red Flag warnings and windy conditions are to start again this afternoon.
• The local law enforcement entities are working on a timeline and date for people to return to the Round Valley.  They do not want to bring people back prematurely and then have to re-evacuate.  They will put the information out at the cooperators meeting before the public announcements, signs and Internet notifications.  The biggest controlling factors at this time effecting the announcement that people can return are the weather (wind) and the fuel in the forest.
• The focus of much of their efforts today will be mopping-up, cleaning and burning operations.  They want to strengthen their defenses before this weekends expected winds arrive.
• They are going to do updates on structure loss late today.
• Fire crews had a good day yesterday holding the lines and doing mop-up.
• In the Greer area they have plans for the larger tanker again today to strengthen the defense there.
• Water Canyon at South Eagar was fortified all night.
• The owners of lost structures to date HAVE ALL been notified and they said if a person did not receive a notification, then their structure was not lost, at this point.
• In the Nutrioso and Alpine areas they are doing cleaning, clearing, burning and mop-up operations to make that area safer.  They are currently burning along the line between Alpine and Talwiwi.
• Along the AZ/NM border they are doing clearing and burning operations, working with the crews in NM to secure that line of fire.
• Along the San Carlos line they are doing burnouts to slow the progress in that area.  A lot of work is being done along the line from the San Carlos division north to the Greer division.
• Public Information meetings to be held today are:
•   1000 hrs. – evacuation site
•   1300 hrs. – St. Johns Middle School
•   1530 hrs.  – Vernon Middle School
• On Monday the AZGFD will bring in Animal Trauma Team.
• AZGFD lost the historic home and barn on one of “their” properties.
• The ADEQ folks said that one of the air quality meters they installed in Saint Johns 3 days ago only ran for about 5 hours and the battery went dead.  They hope to have a new battery today.
• Stuart (who leads the meetings) and ADEQ were discussing the air quality issues and they said that 500 ppm “was not to healthy” and that they have taken readings as high as 1200 ppm, which then dropped to 900 ppm.
• Rumor control:  USDA cattle inspector in Eagar needs help quelling rumors about lost cattle. He has been escorting people to feed livestock to allotments and ranches and he said there have been NO cattle lost to the fire.  There was one dead horse, the owner requested that it be put down this morning because of being injured by a fence - the horse was not killed by the fire.