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Activity increases on Wild Horse Fire
Fire at 85 acres

WILLIAMS - The Wild Horse Fire on the Williams Ranger District has grown to 85 acres since last reported. The lightning-caused fire is located about 23 miles northeast of Williams and just northwest of Kendrick Mountain.

On Tuesday, the fire gained some momentum and continued spreading northward at a moderate pace through ponderosa pine and pinyon juniper. Today, aerial ignitions will be implemented on ridge tops northeast of the fire to prevent rapid upslope movement. Resources assigned to the incident include an Arizona State Forestry Fire Crew, a Wildland Fire Module, one Kaibab engine, one helicopter and several operational personnel.

When the fire started last week, it was placed in monitor status. Upon further evaluation, officials decided the fire could benefit the landscape and meet resource objectives. Objectives for the incident include returning fire to a fire-dependent ecosystem, protecting and improving wildlife habitat and managing smoke production. Officials have developed a proposed management area for the incident that encompasses approximately 17,700 acres.

"As the Wild Horse Fire moves across the landscape, appropriate actions will be taken to maintain the fire within the defined management area," said Martie Schramm, Williams District Ranger. "Throughout the duration of the incident, we will frequently evaluate the fire's progression and fire effects and change our strategy if necessary to ensure our objectives are being met."

Smoke may be visible from various spots including portions of Interstate 40, Highway 180 and forest roads in the area. Plans are in place to install air quality monitoring equipment southwest of the fire vicinity in Spring Valley and to the southeast at Fire Station 36 in Baderville. Fire managers are coordinating with Arizona Department of Environmental Quality to gather air quality data and monitor smoke production on this incident.

A weather trend toward slightly drier and warmer conditions with the potential for afternoon thunderstorms is in the forecast through this week. Fire activity will likely increase given the existing weather pattern.

For additional information, please visit the Inciweb at http://www.inciweb.org/incident/1764/.


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