Wolf Fire operations have resulted in the treatment of roughly 10,000 acres of land following a late April lightning strike on the Coconino National Forest’s Mogollon Rim Ranger District.
Fire managers spent roughly one week conducting firing operations to reduce dead vegetation and hazardous fuels, restore critical nearby watersheds, improve wildlife habitat and lessen the future risk of catastrophic wildfire in the Clints Well area.
“We’ve had really good fire effects with west winds pushing in over the last few days,” said Incident Commander (Trainee) Paul Oltrogge. “The weekend’s light rains moderated things nicely, and the effects of the Wolf Fire are already looking incredibly beneficial for the landscape.”
Firing operations wrapped up in advance of heavier predicted rains on Tuesday and Wednesday.
The Northern Arizona Type 3 Incident Management Team, which has been managing the Wolf Fire since April 6, plans to transition management of the fire back to the Coconino National Forest on Wednesday.
A closure order remains in place for the area surrounding the fire, as does a temporary flight restriction. Drone and aircraft operators are asked to abide by the issued restrictions.
Forest visitors can check the Coconino National Forest’s website at coconinonationalforest.us for updates regarding fire area closures.
There are roughly 150 personnel assigned to the 9,896-acre Wolf Fire, including two Hotshot crews, nine engines, one dozer, two water tenders and one hand crew.
Lightning-caused fires allow an opportunity for land treatment: The removal of forest fuels – such as pine needle accumulation, dead and down trees and other dry plant matter – that create hazardous conditions that could lead to potential catastrophic wildfire.
Land treatment using fire is an important part of the Forest Service’s 10-year Wildfire Crisis Strategy, which aims to reduce the risk of wildfire to critical infrastructure and communities.
As part of the overall Wildfire Crisis Strategy, the Coconino National Forest is committed to restoring land and protecting watersheds – including work on the Cragin Watershed Protection Project – as part of the wider Four Forest Restoration Initiative (4FRI).
This is the last scheduled news release regarding the Wolf Fire. For continued updates on the Wolf Fire, please visit inciweb.wildfire.gov, where fire updates will be posted until full fire containment.
