10/30/2009 1:00:00 PM Prescribed burn planned for next week Four hundred acres to be ignited
Staff Report/WGCN
WILLIAMS - As a continuation of the prescribed fire program, fire managers with the Kaibab National Forest are planning to burn next week on the Williams Ranger District. Pending Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) approval and favorable weather conditions, personnel are preparing to burn approximately 400 acres in the Spring Valley area Nov. 4-5.
The burn unit is eight miles north of Parks, northeast of Sitgreaves Mountain and south and west of Forest Road 141. Smoke will be present during the burn and for several days after ignition. If traveling in the area, please be alert to personnel and equipment working near roads.
Pre-burn preparation includes monitoring the weather and cleaning containment lines as project implementation approaches. Currently, the weather forecast is predicting south to southwest winds for the burn. Personnel will initiate a test fire early in the morning to compare local conditions against weather forecasts before continuing further ignitions.
The project will be patrolled daily by forest fire crews to monitor spread. Prescribed burns are used to reduce hazardous fuels and help ensure that future fires in the area remain at a lower level of intensity thereby providing protection for firefighters and communities.
