Williams, Ariz., Sep 5, 2017—For Immediate Release. A new lightning caused wildfire discovered on the Williams Ranger District of the Kaibab National Forest has grown to 26 acres over the Labor Day weekend. The “Volunteer Fire” was detected by the Volunteer Lookout tower late afternoon on Saturday September 2.

 Two engine modules, a squad of 7 fuels technicians and a few miscellaneous managers have been on scene since the initial response on Saturday and will continue to work toward containment over the next few days. A system of roads surrounding the area burning has been identified to stop the forward spread and containment is expected to be attained soon.

The Volunteer fire is located approximately 4 miles south of Volunteer Mountain in the southeast corner of Garland Prairie near the Navajo Army Depot boundary. Smoke will be noticeable with light effects over the next few days but should diminish rapidly as suppression objectives are achieved.   

Fire managers on the Williams Ranger District have again carefully considered their options and have chosen to actively work toward full suppression of this fire. Officials recognize opportunities to allow fire to play a natural role improving forest health on local landscapes when they arise, however weighing other factors plays a large influence in the decision process.

This year, forests in the northwest regions of the country have been experiencing extreme fire conditions with record numbers of wildfires that have left local resources nearly exhausted, and those agencies are now calling for support from any and all available resources nationally to assist. Firefighters from across the country including northern Arizona have been supporting this national effort which has now become the nation’s priority. The wet monsoon season here has allowed local officials to deploy several Kaibab National Forest employees to many northwest states over the past several weeks and more are likely to be assigned in the days ahead. Federal resources are typically shared this way when conditions become severe in specific geographical locations where resources have been depleted.

Additional fire information about fires across the nation can be obtained from InciWeb at: inciweb.nwcg.gov/ or to learn more about the Kaibab National Forest Fire Management program go to: www.fs.usda.gov/main/kaibab/fire