Firefighters continue to work to contain the lightning caused Backbone Fire that started last Wednesday. Officials say there will be a community meeting tonight at 7-pm at the Philip England Performing Art Center in Camp Verde. The meeting is open to the public and will be live streamed on the Incident Facebook Page. On the west side, crews continue to monitor the fire as it nears the east side of the Verde River. Contingency lines near Beasley Flat and Camp Verde are being improved. Crews and aircraft continue to work the southeast area of the fire in areas including Hardscrabble Canyon and Deadman Mesa to prevent fire from establishing in the drainage. Highway-260 is closed between Camp Verde and Highway-87. Highway-87 is closed north of Payson to Clint’s Well. Evacuation orders were issued for the communities of Pine and Strawberry. The fire is currently 38,321 acres in size and 1% contained. The blaze is located about 12 miles west of Pine and Strawberry.
