Kaibab National Forest fire managers plan to initiate prescribed fire treatments on Monday, May 20, on the Three Sisters Prescribed Fire Project located just north of the City of Williams and Interstate 40, east of Airport Road, west of Highway 64, and along the north shore of Kaibab Lake. The planned ignition date may change should conditions not prove conducive for safety and smoke impacts. Crews are targeting a total of 2,245 acres on four units and anticipate ignitions to take up to three days, conditions safely allowing.
Area residents and visitors can expect to see and hear a helicopter in the area as aerial ignitions will occur on portions of the burn. Citizens are strongly urged to refrain from using any type of aerial-drone systems near the active project area that could potentially interfere with aircraft operations. Approximately 70 personnel will be assigned to this fire, and fire managers will be in close contact with the National Weather Service for current and predicted weather before and during operations, as well as with the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality Air Resources Division who will be modeling and monitoring the smoke.
Smoke will be highly noticeable from the Williams area, particularly the H.A. Clark Memorial Field Airport, Kaibab Lake, Ash Fork, Red Lake, Valle, and portions of State Route 64 and I-40. Smoke can be expected to lift during the day, however cooler overnight temperatures may cause smoke to settle into low-lying areas surrounding the burn location. Fire managers are looking for winds out of the south/southwest to minimize smoke impacts to the City of Williams.
