[If you’ve noticed that a couple of my most recent posts have disappeared, it is because Google’s blogging platform was compromised, and has been out of commission for about a day. I’m hoping that the missing posts will reappear soon.] Last night the most obvious … Continue readingProgress on Horseshoe 2 Fire
The first hint of something extraordinary is all the activity along the South Fork road, just below the bridge. A dozen Black-headed Grosbeaks forage on the ground and munch breakfast in the branches overhanging the road. Apache Fox Squirrels nestle in the sprays of leaves. … Continue readingSilverleaf
I returned home from Flagstaff to welcome news: the Horseshoe Fire is virtually extinguished! The Forest Service’s fly-overs with infrared cameras have shown some remaining hotspots in smoldering tree stumps, but no live flames and no areas of concern. The final tallies: fire size 3,386 … Continue readingSouth Fork Reopens!
This morning’s briefing on the Horseshoe Fire was held under cloudy skies, with a ragged trace of virga falling to the northeast. The transition from Brad McBratney’s fire crew to Wayne Cook’s fire team became official this morning. (Brad is standing at the far left, … Continue readingFire Line Holding in South Fork
Yesterday the Horseshoe Fire was inordinately well-behaved: I saw no smoke! The fire crews report that the fire continues to back into the South Fork of Cave Creek Canyon in the vicinity of the trailhead, although you can see by comparing today’s fire map with … Continue readingSuppression in South Fork
The Horseshoe Fire’s continuing advance north has triggered new suppression efforts. It is still backing down drainages in South Fork Canyon, working its way toward the road. Suppression has become necessary to try to keep the fire from moving into the main Cave Creek Canyon. On the … Continue readingRenewed Suppression of Horseshoe Fire
At this morning’s briefing in Portal, fire team leaders summarized yesterday’s work and laid out the tasks for today. The fire’s behavior yesterday was somewhat unexpected, because the big cliffs failed to delay it as much as had been anticipated. As the new fire map … Continue readingHorseshoe Fire Briefing & Map
Today while participating in the annual census of Elegant Trogons in the Chiricahua Mountains, I had the opportunity to go into South Fork with a firefighter, Dario Villarreal, as high as the burn. What I saw couldn’t have looked better! South Fork burn (Photos by … Continue readingBurn in South Fork
At last night’s community meeting in Portal regarding the Horseshoe Fire, the fire team gave us a glimpse into how their strategies are built. Sam Amato (an analyst of long-term fire behavior) has modeled the fire, using local topography, weather patterns, and knowledge of fire … Continue readingHorseshoe Fire: Strategies
Fire briefing on June 17 (Photos by Narca) The fire crew, which is working to contain the Horseshoe Fire that continues to burn in the Chiricahua Wilderness, assembled at six this morning for its daily briefing. Yesterday’s hot, dry, windy conditions did indeed light up … Continue readingActive Day for Horseshoe Fire