At this morning’s fire briefing in Portal, USFS District Ranger Bill Edwards spoke of a shift in strategy from letting the Horseshoe Fire burn through exceedingly rugged terrain in the Chiricahua Mountains, to an attempt today to restrain its downslope movement along the eastern margin of the active fire front. After burning to the northeast over the past few days, the fire has finally entered somewhat gentler terrain along the eastern front, and, after a reconnaissance yesterday, the fire commanders decided that it is safe enough to send in a crew to try to secure that margin. A primary goal is to protect homes and other structures on the lower eastern slopes of the mountains from the spreading fire.
In the north and northwest of the active fire front, water drops were used last night to manage the fire, with the goal of keeping the fire on the high ridge leading toward Portal Peak, and not backing downslope towards Cave Creek Canyon and Portal. Conditions won’t allow for the fire to be fully contained or extinguished until the rains come.
In fact, we are entering a period of greater instability, as weather becomes hotter and drier, and the fire’s behavior could become much more challenging to manage. Crews are taking advantage of the opportunity they are offered right now to manage the fire along the less-rugged eastern margin.
