HikeArizona.COM

Spring Fire
8pm 6/1, 1900 acres East side of North bound 87 at mile post 210.

Lots of haze/smoke?? east this morning on the hood walk, catalinas, rincons and santa rita's mostly obscured this morning. Tucson not visible on the highpoint of the stroll.

@RedRoxx44
Might be moisture, dust and yes, smoke from New Mexico. In the overnight Tucson NWS forecast discussion they mentioned an outflow boundary moving westward from thunderstorms in New Mexico. When they wrote it this morning it was in Cochise county so it may have moved into the Santa Cruz River valley causing the hazy skies.

Perhaps the fine particulates from that smoke will aid in causing precipitation from any storm clouds that develop over the next few days?

It really started to take off yesterday. And this morning continues to grow. It's nearly to the 191 now.

@ShatteredArm
The good news is that you should be able to hike Foote Creek now with no obstructions. lol

@RedRoxx44
@Jim_H

@pseudalpine
Neat!

very smoky in the north valley; could barely see the McDowells as I was driving east on the 101.

When I looked outside this morning I was surprised at what I thought was cloud cover; it was smoke.

@pseudalpine
Wow, impressive. Now just lots of big puffy clouds and some nasty humidity while I was doing some outside work this afternoon.

@tibber
The smoke and smell is terrible at my house today.

@tibber
According to the NWS it is dust

LosDosSloFolks wrote:The smoke and smell is terrible at my house today.

Cigars are an acquired taste.

A-S is rescinding fire restrictions at 5PM today.

@hikeaz Kaibab did so last Friday. Coco has been holding on because it caters to Flagstaff and Sedona residents more than forest users.

https://firms.modaps.eosdis.nasa.gov/us ... .79,12.60z

https://www.cbsnews.com/philadelphia/ne ... ew-jersey/

I doubt most care about this, but there is a nice fire here in NJ, and much to my pleasure it is in an area that I would like to see burn between Apple Pie Hill and Carranza Memorial. Someone posted a video of their discovery of the fire, nothing impressive.
[ youtube video ]

It seems to be burning an area of tick infested forest which the Ba To Na trail runs through, so this works well for me!

Interestingly, according to the precipitation analysis, that area has had over 2 inches of rain in the last 7 days, all of it last Sunday into Monday morning. This was after a dry May and early June. Obviously, it was July 4, and it could be from fireworks, but one has to wonder if someone is "helping out" by setting some fires after heavy rains have reduced some of the fire danger, but during the growing season. Fire behavior in those dense resinous fuels would be different when live fuel moisture was down before the rains.

Oh, and I have a nice alibi, so....

Awww...it was fire works.
https://www.facebook.com/NJForestFireService

I'm waiting for an update on the Pius Fire this morning. Burning on the Mogollon Rim, not far north of the Turkey Beaver Wilderness Quiet Area, causing the evacuation of recreation users from Knoll Lake and Bear Canyon Lake and surrounding areas as it is expected to grow to the south and southeast up toward the rim lakes.

While the perimeter map has not yet been published, if you have been to the O'Haco Cabins area in Pius Draw, you would be familiar with the general vicinity.

It was very active in high winds yesterday with crowning. Wind and heat will be an issue for the next several days before forecast monsoonal moisture returns this weekend.

The next three days will likely be critical.

https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-i ... -pius-fire

There are several private parcels (with structures) in the predicted path.

@hikeaz And while the cause has not been determined (at least not publicly), the private property and ranches near the ignition point at least opens up the possibility of a start not related to idiot flatlanders abandoning a campfire. (Though that is pretty much always a good possibility).

@chumley
This one makes me nervous. I don’t know how the area faired the last few weeks with rain, but there are lots of draws, and canyons super thick with mixed conifer in that area that if dry are absolute tinder boxes. I’m reading the fire is headed towards the powerlines, which is probably a major concern

Still no official update this morning, but this unofficial mapping can provide further information in the interim.

Up to 1307 acres now