Pending favorable conditions, fire managers plan to burn 10 acres of piles on the Kachina Project tomorrow, Friday Jan 6. Piles are located south of Kachina Village, approximately 2 miles west of I-17 at the Kelly Canyon interchange. The majority of smoke will disperse to the northeast with the forecast winds, however, some smoke may follow terrain and settle into Oak Creek Canyon overnight.

Prescribed fire activity is dependent on personnel availability, weather – including winds and ventilation, and approval from the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (www.azdeq.gov).

Fire managers make every effort to minimize smoke impacts to the communities while continuing to address the critical need to reduce the risk of severe wildfires around those communities. Tactics to keep smoke impacts as minimal as possible include cancelling burns when conditions aren’t favorable, finding alternative uses for the debris in slash piles, timing ignitions to allow the majority of smoke time to disperse prior to settling overnight, and burning larger sections at a time when conditions are favorable to reduce the overall number of days smoke is in the area.

In addition, the Coconino National Forest coordinates prescribed fire plans with the partners of the Ponderosa Fire Advisory Council (which includes state and local fire departments), as well as neighboring forests, to reduce the impact of smoke on the communities.