Williams, Ariz., June 27, 2016—For Immediate Release. The 5983 acre Bert Fire on the Williams Ranger District of the Kaibab National Forest has shown no additional growth and is not expected to increase in size any further.

BERT FIRE OVERVIEW

Start Date: May 28, 2016.

Cause: Lightning.

Location: Ten miles southeast of Valle on highway 180 near Ebert Mountain.

Current Size: 5983 acres. Containment is 75%

Incident Commander: Tyler Knight ICT4 / Zach Boness ICT4T.

Resources: One 11-person fuels crew, one type-6 engine, and one resource advisor. Total personnel assigned is 18.

Current Status: There has been no movement on the perimeter of the Bert fire for several days and officials predict no additional acres will burn. The fire has reached the boundaries that were pre-determined for achieving objectives which included improving forest health and returning this area to a desired historical condition.

“At the onset we were excited and optimistic about the opportunity to allow this wildfire to improve the landscape in a number of ways” said Williams District Ranger Danelle D. Harrison. “Using fire as a tool to begin this grassland restoration project was an additional benefit for us, and although the fire burned hot at times, we are very pleased with the overall effects.”
Crews will remain on scene working toward full containment which is expected as monsoonal precipitation arrives.

This will be the final update on the Bert Fire unless conditions change. To view recent spherical panoramas and photos of the Bert Fire area, visit http://bit.ly/BertFire2016. Additional fire information for the Kaibab National Forest can be obtained through the following sources: InciWeb http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/4751/; Kaibab National Forest Fire Information Phone Line (928) 635-8311; Text Message – text ‘follow kaibabnf’ to 40404.