#WallowFire Final Update from Wallow Fire Area Command

Final Wallow Fire Update

from Wallow Fire Area Command

Day 35

July 4, 2011 

                          

Fire Facts:

Location:  - Apache, Navajo, Graham, and Greenlee, Counties, Arizona;  Catron County, New Mexico	Injuries to Date: 16
Fort Apache Indian Reservation,  San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation	Total Personnel: 579 Includes 0 hotshot crews; 8 handcrews
Date Started: 05/29/2011 Cause: Human – under investigation	Residences: 32 destroyed; 5 damaged
Size:  538,049 acres total; 15,407 acres in N.M.	Commercial Property: 4 destroyed
Percent Contained: 95% Resources: 2 Helicopter;    26 Engines; 10 Water Tenders; 9 Dozers	Outbuildings: 36 destroyed; 1 damaged Vehicles: 1 destroyed

Since the Wallow fire started on May 29, 2011 the fire suppression and repair activities have been managed by a series of fire teams from throughout the United States.  Due to the great work these teams and all of the other resources assigned to the fire have done, the fire was previously turned back to the White Mountain Apache Tribe and will be turned back to the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest on July 5, 2011 to continue patrolling, mopping up and repairing areas of the fire damaged by fire suppression activities.  For further information contact:

·         Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest at 928-333-6263 or go to their web site at http://tinyurl.com/6fzvyax.

·         White Mountain Apache Tribe at 928-338 2502 or go to their web site at http://www.wmat.us.

Giving the management responsibilities back to the forests does not mean the fire is completely out.  Smoke may continue to be visible from interior fuels burning until a season ending rain event occurs.

Today both Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) crews and fire crews continue to remove woody debris from the East and West forks of the Little Colorado River.  Hazard tree removal continues on FR 81 in Auger Canyon, which was severely burned. “Feller-buncher” machinery and saw teams are removing dead trees that could fall across the road. The trees are placed in piles for removal at a later time.                       

High pressure over the area will continue to feed moisture into the region.   Moisture is moving over southern Apache and Navajo counties and will have the best chance for thunderstorm activity. These thunderstorms may create localized flash flooding particularly within or adjacent to the burn area.  Take appropriate precautions if a thunderstorm occurs in your vicinity.  Today’s temperatures will range from 76-85 degrees with 4-8 mph southwest wind.  Relative humidity will be near 20%.  There is a 50% chance of showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon.

Special Information:

·          Fourth of July fireworks at Sunrise Ski Area and Resort are cancelled.

·         Though the sale of ground and hand-held fireworks and their use in some locations is now legal in Arizona, please remember, fireworks are not permitted on public lands at any time.

·         The July 4^th weekend is upon us and besides the hazards presented by elk and other wildlife on the roads and highways be aware of heavy holiday traffic in the area.  Watch your speed and drive defensively.  Remember that the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest is asking that speed be held down to a maximum of 50 mph during dusk to dawn and at night.  

·         An Individual Assistance Service Center (IASC) is available for all evacuated Arizonans to access information to assist in their personal recovery from the fire. It is located at the Round Valley Public Library, 179 S Main, Eagar, Ariz. The hours of operation are: Tuesday through Thursday, July 5-7th 10 a.m.- 4 p.m. and July 8th, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.  The facility will be closed Monday, July 4th.

WALLOW FIRE NOTICES

Road Closures -  Due to heavy fire suppression and repair activities the following roads are closed to the public:

·         US 191 (the Coronado Trail) is closed between Alpine to north of Clifton (milepost 176-253).

·         SR 261 (to Big Lake) and SR 273 (between Big Lake and Reservation Lake), remain closed.

·         Forest Road 281 is closed two miles south of its junction with US 180 but is open beyond this point to residences only.

Closures and Restrictions:

·         All Forest Service and private commercial facilities inside the road closures are not available to the public.

·         San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation: Fire Restrictions and area closures remain in effect.

·         Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests Closures and Open Areas.  Due to continued fire activity and the unprecedented levels of dry forest fuel along with dry weather, conditions exist for extreme fire danger necessitating closure of most of the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest. Please go to the following web site for the most complete information:  http://tinyurl.com/6yflpfu.

·         For information on closures and restrictions for all public lands in Arizona go to the Public Lands Information Center web site at http://www.publiclands.org/firenews/AZ.php  or call their hotline at  (877) 864-6985.

·         Gila National Forest: A closure is in effect for the western portion of the Gila National Forest.  Call (575) 388-8201, TTY (575) 388-8497 or see http://www.fs.usda.gov/gila.

·         Fort Apache Indian Reservation:  Partial area closures are in effect for the eastside of the Fort Apache Indian Reservation. See http://www.wmat.nsn.us/.

Public Safety:   Please be aware that flooding is likely in those areas adjacent to high severity burned areas.  This may affect many of the same people who evacuated their homes in the early days of the Wallow Fire.  There is concern about roads, bridges, and culverts holding up through flooding events.  It is important to be alert and keep informed on what you can do to protect your homes and property.  While private land issues are within the County’s purview, here are some links that could be helpful to begin preparations:

·         NOAA National Weather Service: http://tinyurl.com/29fnj35 - for monitoring for flooding predictions and sign up to get      

·          e-mail alerts

·         County emergency information: http://593info.org – this web site is applicable for southern Apache and Navajo Counties.

·         For county specific information go the following web sites:  http://www.co.apache.az.us/ (Apache Co., Ariz.), http://www.co.greenlee.az.us/ (Greenlee Co., Ariz.), and  https://mylocalgov.com/catroncountynm/ (Catron Co., N.Mex.)

·         Occupational Health and Safety Administration: http://tinyurl.com/3uuxu3h - information on how to fill, and carry sandbags in a safe manner.

·         Information on flood property protection:  http://tinyurl.com/6hfues3

·         A Crisis Intervention Line (928) 333-2683 is available for residents suffering from the stress of living with fire danger. 

·         For more safety information see:  http://tinyurl.com/6zvcrck.

·         Apache County and local fire departments have begun identifying locations for staging of sandbags in anticipation of the monsoon season.  More information will be provided as locations are confirmed.

·         Information and assistance for damaged homes and small businesses can be accessed at this link: http://tinyurl.com/6a94bk5.

#WallowFire small IR map from 06/26/11 PM flyover

#WallowFire small IR map from 06/26/11 PM flyover
Burned area: 538,048 acres
Growth: 5 acres

Wallow Fire IR map from 06/26/11 flyover

IR interpretation comments:

There is still a lot of residual heat at the top of the drainage above KP Cienega Campground below the ridge and Route 666. d. There was still a little active fire in the Stray Horse area on the southern tip. There was a a pocket of heat at the top of Lengthy Canyon on the east side of the creek away from the perimeter. The only growth of the fire was into Twin Springs Canyon. There was intense heat in this area and a lot of residual heat where it burned last night. The rest of the fire was pretty quiet including the arm north of Luna. Using the AllZones perimeter dated 2011/06/26 at 11:13, I made one island larger and got rid of several others. The overall affect was a net gain of only 5 acres to the entire fire.

#WallowFire photo - NOT a healthy forest fire

#WallowFire photo - NOT a healthy forest fire

Wallow Fire photo by Jason Coil

The kind of fire like this, one that burns everything including tree tops (crown fire), is not a "healthy" forest fire.  It is not a fire that trees, wildlife or forage benefits from, because fires like this kill everything they burn and they sterilize the soil.

We cannot go back to "pre-human" days for forests, since they have grown to today's condition over centuries of use by humans.  Pre-human" times were different times - different climate, different animal and plant species.  There is no going back.

Given the current unhealthy state of forests of the Southwest that end up with catastrophic wildfires like the Wallow Fire, we need a change in forest management.  Please let your state and federal legislators know that you want a change in forest management and you want it now.

Locate your NM legislator:  http://www.nmlegis.gov/lcs/districts.aspx
Locate your US legislator:
Senate  http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm
House  https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml

#WallowFire Situation Report from 6/25/2011 1700

#WallowFire Situation Report 6/25/2011 1700

Wallow SWAC	AZ-ASF-110152-SWAC	Type: WF	Start: 05/29/2011 1330	Cause: U	Priority:
Overhead Team Name: Bill Waterbury		Organization: Area Command			Local:	GACC:
Size: 537,408 ACRES % Cnt/MMA: 77 % Est Contain: NR Latitude: 33° 36´ 7" Longitude: 109° 26´ 56"
Location: 23 miles southwest of Alpine, AZ $$ Costs to Date: $95,890,508
Structures Threatened: 218 PRIM , 39 COMM , 128 OUTB Structures Destroyed: 32 PRIM , 4 COMM , 36 OUTB
Resources Committed:	Total Personnel: 2,347		Report Date: Jun 25, 2011 1700
Agency CRW1 CRW2 HEL1 HEL2 HEL3 ENGS OVHD BIA 2 9 0 0 0 6 62 BLM 0 0 0 0 2 19 35 CNTY 0 0 0 0 0 0 17 FWS 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 NPS 0 0 0 0 0 1 14 OTHR 0 0 0 0 0 2 42 PRI 0 1 0 0 0 14 32 ST 1 1 0 0 0 17 111 USFS 11 18 6 4 2 74 306 WXW 0 0 0 0 0 0 4
Significant Events: Zone 1: Crews continued dozer line rehab and fire suppression repair work. Public meeting in Eagar. Zone 2: Resources successfully held constructed Strayhorse drainage and kept the fire north of Blue Ridge Creek. At 0800 hours today, the evacuation status for the Blue River area was changed from mandatory to area open to residents only. Zone 3: Mop-up, patrol, and rehab. Remarks: Zone 1: Continue to demobilize excess resources. Zone 2: New Mexico Congressman Pearce visited Zone 2 ICP and portions of Branch VIII. Contingency planning is in progress to address concerns on the southern portion of the fire. Hwy 191 remains closed from Alpine mile marker 176 to north of Clifton mile marker 253. Have a critical need to replace Type 3 engines and IH Crews that are timing out. Zone 3: None. Observed Fire Behavior: Zone 1: Continued smoldering in heavy fuels with small areas of isolated ground fire well within containment lines. Zone 2: In the Blue River drainage interior burnout continued but no significant fire behavior occurred due to aerial suppression efforts. In the Luna area only scattered heat and smoldering was observed. Zone 3: Smoldering, creeping, and backing. Planned Actions: Zone 1: Mop-up and rehabilitation work. Team will continue with plans to transfer the fire back to the forest at 0600 on June 27th. Zone 2: In the Blue River drainage resources will continue to strengthen and hold constructed line. Resources will continue construction of indirect line and prepare for burnout from E. Hwy 191 toward the Primitive Area boundary in the Strayhorse drainage area. Resources will patrol Alpine and west of Luna along Road 19 and 180, San Francisco River and JJ Ranch. Zone 3: Continue mop-up, patrol, and rehabilitation.

Wallow Zone 1	AZ-ASF-110152-1	Type: WF	Start: 05/29/2011 1330	Cause: U	Priority:
Overhead Team Name: Norm Walker		Organization: Type 2 Team			Local:	GACC:
Size: 537,408 ACRES % Cnt/MMA: 95 % Est Contain: NR Latitude: 33° 36´ 7" Longitude: 109° 26´ 56"
Location: Alpine, AZ $$ Costs to Date: $41,308,016
Structures Threatened: 200 PRIM , 35 COMM , 100 OUTB Structures Destroyed: 32 PRIM , 36 OUTB
Resources Committed:	Total Personnel: 462		Report Date: Jun 25, 2011 1630
Agency CRW1 CRW2 HEL1 HEL2 HEL3 ENGS OVHD BIA 0 2 0 0 0 1 3 BLM 0 0 0 0 0 6 14 DDQ 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 LGR 0 0 0 0 0 0 25 NPS 0 0 0 0 0 0 12 PRI 0 0 0 0 1 0 20 ST 0 0 0 0 0 5 59 USFS 0 2 0 0 0 9 103 WXW 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
Significant Events: Crews continued with the extensive rehabilitation of dozer lines and fire suppression repair work. Public meeting in Eagar. Remarks: Incident will continue with the demobilization of excess resources that are timing out, reassigning resources to other zones and supporting other incidents within the region. Lighter winds are allowing firefighters to make good progress with mop-up operations while other crews continued with suppression repair. Observed Fire Behavior: Continued smouldering of heavy fuels with small areas of isolated ground fire well within containment lines. Planned Actions: Crews will continue to mop up and securing fireline. Other resources will be continuing to conduct fire rehabilitation work including chipping along road sides and seeding dozer line with native seed. The team will continue with plans to transfer the fire back to the forest 6/27 at 0600hrs.

Wallow Zone 2	AZ-ASF-110152-2	Type: WF	Start: 05/29/2011 1330	Cause: U	Priority:
Overhead Team Name: Jeanne Pincha-Tulley		Organization: Type 1 Team			Local:	GACC:
Size: 537,408 ACRES % Cnt/MMA: 48 % Est Contain: NR Latitude: 33° 36´ 7" Longitude: 109° 26´ 56"
Location: Alpine, Arizona $$ Costs to Date: $33,906,867
Structures Threatened: 17 PRIM , 2 COMM , 26 OUTB Structures Destroyed: NONE
Resources Committed:	Total Personnel: 1,572		Report Date: Jun 25, 2011 1700
Agency CRW1 CRW2 HEL1 HEL2 HEL3 ENGS OVHD BIA 2 4 0 0 0 0 10 BLM 0 0 1 0 1 13 15 CNTY 0 0 0 0 0 0 17 FWS 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 LGR 0 0 0 0 0 2 15 NPS 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 PRI 0 1 7 0 2 13 5 ST 1 0 0 0 0 12 42 USFS 10 16 0 0 1 63 139 WXW 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Significant Events: Resources successfully held constructed line in Branch VI and VIII and kept the fire north of Blue Ridge Creek. At 0800 hours today, the evacuation status for the Blue River area was changed from mandatory to area open to residents only. Remarks: New Mexico Congressman Pearce visited Zone 2 ICP and portions of Branch VIII. Reported acres in box 15 reflect Arizona 521,819 and New Mexico 15,407. Contingency planning is in progress to address concerns on the southern portion of the fire. Hwy 191 remains closed from Alpine mile marker 176 to north of Clifton mile marker 253. Percent contained as listed in Box 16 is calculated based on direct line construction. Since the Branch VIII strategy is to go indirect, e.g., along the Blue River drainage, the actual percent contained, based on this strategy, is higher than is reported. For this reason, the percent contained remained at 48%, even though resources made good progress with containment in Branch VI. Observed Fire Behavior: In Branch VIII, interior burnout continued but no significant fire behavior occurred due to aerial suppression efforts. In Branch VI only scattered heat and smoldering was observed. Planned Actions: In Branch VIII, resources will continue to strengthen and hold constructed line. Resources will continue construction of indirect line and prepare for burnout in Div. P from E. Hwy 191 toward the Primitive Area boundary in the Strayhorse drainage area. In Branch VI resources will patrol Alpine and west of Luna along Road 19 and 180, San Francisco River and JJ Ranch.

Wallow Zone 3 West	AZ-ASF-110152-3	Type: WF	Start: 05/29/2011 1330	Cause: U	Priority:
Overhead Team Name: Mark Rapp		Organization: Type 2 Team			Local:	GACC:
Size: 527,774 ACRES % Cnt/MMA: 100 % Est Contain: 06/25/2011 Latitude: 33° 36´ 7" Longitude: 109° 26´ 56"
Location: 23 miles SW of Alpine, AZ $$ Costs to Date: $20,675,625
Structures Threatened: 1 PRIM , 2 COMM , 2OUTB Structures Destroyed: NONE
Resources Committed:	Total Personnel: 313		Report Date: Jun 25, 2011 1600
Agency CRW1 CRW2 HEL1 HEL2 HEL3 ENGS OVHD BIA 0 3 0 0 0 5 49 BLM 0 0 0 0 1 0 6 FWS 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 NPS 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 OTHR 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 PRI 0 0 0 0 0 1 7 ST 0 1 0 0 0 0 10 USFS 1 0 0 2 1 2 64 WXW 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
Significant Events: Mop-up, patrol and rehab continues. Remarks: Observed Fire Behavior: Smoldering, creeping and backing. Planned Actions: Continue mop-up, patrol and rehab.

Note: the above information has been copied and pasted directly from the GACC website situation report.