Wildfire!

[eyesup]

There is a wildfire near Mayer, AZ that is burning near where kensunwalker’s property is and all those wonderful trails he has built. I believe it is about 10 miles south of Dewey and Ken’s land.

The location of Goodwin Fire.

Map of Mayer, AZ near Dewey-Humboldt.

I just ran across this. It looks like it started on Sunday.

Thoughts and prayers for Ken & Amy and all the people in the path.

Duane

[jbeegoode]

The first time that I drove through there, I remember it as grasslands around 1974. They state that there is 40 years of chaparrell growth, now. That sounds about right. I hope that the preserve that we visited in left intact, too.

I haven't gotten any clear information about Ash Creek or the fire in the Penalino Mountains. All they tell us is if the "values" structures and telescope are okay. I guess there is no hurry to know. There won't be any camping for a while. It is heartbreaking. That canyon is so dear. Meyer is doing pretty good so far. Sure could use some rain.
Jbee

[kensunwalker]

Thanks for the thoughts.  So far the trails are fine, but they have evacuated the area.  We'll just have to wait and see.

Ken

[Greenbare Woods]

I returned home from Oregon yesterday and watched the local TV news.   There is a 40,000 acre wildfire burning about an hour drive west of here.  Our fire season has begun. 

We saw several burned places along the highway on our way home and drove past one that was burning with firemen working on it. 

[eyesup]

The Frye Fire and the Goodwin Fire, Mt. Graham and Mayer, AZ respectively, seem to be getting better contained. Couldn't find out much this morning but the officials say the weather is cooperating.

Duane

[jbeegoode]

I'm waiting to call when they are not so busy, but I am so concerned about Ash Creek down to the waterfalls. Did it survive? The maps are misleading with the patchiness of the fire and terrain. All they talk about is structures and campground that I have no use for.
Jbee

[nuduke]

Every good wish, Ken hope you remain safe.


40,000 acres...the mind boggles.


John

[jbeegoode]

Cripe, we're seeing a huge cloud of smoke up on in the Catalina Mountains. It's burning on the other side. Hard to tell what's going on.

Update:
A wildfire burning in the Redington Pass area northeast of Tucson has grown to about 50 acres.

The Burro Fire was reported at about 10:30 a.m. Friday and is burning in tall grass and brush.

Fire crews are battling the fire, including using several VLATs (Very Large Air Tankers) and helicopters.
+1
Burro Fire

Fire managers are using air power to attack the Burro Fire at about MP 7 north of Redington Road in Coronado National Forest.
Mike Christy / Arizona Daily Star

Several other wildfires continue to burn in Southern Arizona:

    Swisshelms, about 10 miles east of Elfrida, is at about 5,000 acres and 15 percent contained Friday.
    The Frye Fire on Mount Graham has burned 40,000 acres and is about 45 percent contained.
    The Mink Fire, near Arivaca, has burned about 1,200 acres, but is 80 percent contained.
    The Saddle Fire near Douglas has burned about 5,000 acres but is nearly 90 percent contained.
    The Maynard Fire near Arivaca has burned 1,300 acres and is 40 percent contained. The fire is being monitored since it is burning in extremely rough terrain.

Well, that isn't the high pines on top and it is north of the road where we like to play and it is only 50 acres...now. wind relatively calm.

40,000 up around Ash Creek. I is mostly on the northside. Hopefully the whole playground isn't at risk.

Hottest June in 130 years. Sure wish it would rain....but it is too hot to pull the moister up from the California Gulf.
Jbee

[eyesup]

There’s one, the Brian Head Fire, up northeast of Cedar City, Utah that is just over 65,000 acres. Many evacuations. I have friends south of the fire so they appear safe for now. With peaks topping 13,000 ft. some areas are difficult to access and have to be let alone.

The Dixie National Forest has been decimated by the bark beetle. I have driven Hwy 14 east and better than 50% of the forest visible from the road is dead. The forest service can’t stay ahead of the dying. They drop the trees on to the ground to allow them to decompose but there are too many.

Someone up in the Brian Head area was burning weeds on his property and it got away from him. One wonders if he was a newcomer. Old timers know better. It hasn’t rained since late Feb.

They are still out there!

Duane

[Greenbare Woods]

There’s one, the Brian Head Fire, up northeast of Cedar City, Utah that is just over 65,000 acres. Many evacuations. I have friends south of the fire so they appear safe for now. With peaks topping 13,000 ft. some areas are difficult to access and have to be let alone.

In 1905 a wild fire burned about 95% of New Mexico and a goodly part of west Texas and Arizona.  In the 19th century wild fires sometimes burned across the American prairies until the Mississippi river.  Despite all that Logging was the #1 industry in New Mexico until after WW II. 

The Dixie National Forest has been decimated by the bark beetle. I have driven Hwy 14 east and better than 50% of the forest visible from the road is dead. The forest service can’t stay ahead of the dying. They drop the trees on to the ground to allow them to decompose but there are too many.

Back before the forest service put out fires they just burned all summer, mostly across the dry grass, and the the fires prevented massive destruction by insects such as bark beetles.   Well intended but poorly planned Forest Service mismanagement is largely responsible for that bark beetle devastation. 

Someone up in the Brian Head area was burning weeds on his property and it got away from him. One wonders if he was a newcomer. Old timers know better. It hasn’t rained since late Feb.
They are still out there!
Duane

The US Government murdered some rancher out in Utah for burning weeds on his ranch.  The government wanted his land for Clinton and Obama to sell uranium to Russia.  Its a big political scandal in the US.   Just last week the grand jury indicted a FBI agent for lying about it.

Bob

[eyesup]

Don’t know about the political side, but anyone that burns weeds in the dry season when it’s windy in an alpine forest with more than 50% of the trees dead, standing or laying on the ground, is asking for trouble and the right, privilege and obligation to deal with the consequences. Just use a mower till it rains a few times.

What was it that Forest Gump said about that kind of behavior?

People lost homes and personal property. He’ll be fortunate if there are no fatalities.

Duane

[eyesup]

Latest: Looks like Goodwin Fire is 95% contained.
https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5278/

Duane

[eyesup]

According to the fire Incident webpage the Goodwin fire near kensunwalker’s property is 100% contained. Yay! It doesn’t look like the fire got too close so hopefully Ken and Amy are able to get back in soon.

After a fire there isn’t much left to the desert. See here. That looks a lot like the desert around here does after a fire. Nothing left.

Duane

[jbeegoode]

Desert burning depends on presence of the unnatural grasses and plants to be truly devastating. It eventually leaves some nutrients, if they don't blow away with drought or wash away in the next monsoon gully washer. It is amazing how resilient the desert can be, how much more the invasive species are, but it can also turn the other way to an extent. For instance, if you blade over a section of Sonoran desert, it will take as much as 400 years for the ecosystem to recover fully.

IT RAINED!!!! The Catalina fire is out, after they let tens of thousands of acres burn from a 50 acre man made grass fire that could have been squelched. The Pinalenos lost 40,000 acres. The touristy campsites, ie. revenue producers (it is all about $$$), are all okay. The real nature and hiking places that I love, I don't know yet.
Jbee

[eyesup]

Desert burning depends on presence of the unnatural grasses and plants to be truly devastating.

The cheatgrass, native to Asia, that is all over the Mojave arrived in ships from the Orient. No one knew about invasive species back in the 19th century. It just happened.

Patton setup training centers all over southern California and southwest Arizona. In places you can still see the tracks in the desert from the armor that was used in simulations. His Desert Training Center, DTC, was essential to the war effort, but the scars are still there almost 75 years later.

We were in Mesa Verde and speaking to a ranger who told us that a burn area needs at a minimum of 300 years to recover.

The desert is tough, but slow to recover!

Duane