Local News

News Releae:Prescribed fires planned near Tusayan Thursday - Monday

April 14, 2022

Williams, AZ, April 12, 2022 — Fire managers anticipate conducting prescribed fires on the Reed Project Upper Ten-X Units northeast of Tusayan starting this Thursday, April 14 and continuing through Monday, April 18 as conditions allow. Crews are aiming to complete up to 300 acres per day. Wind will be a key factor this weekend. 

“If it’s too windy we may need to delay our plans,” says Ashleigh D’Antonio, Fuels Fire Management Officer for the Williams and Tusayan Ranger Districts. “We will coordinate with the National Weather Service and Predictive Services to determine if the environmental conditions meet the prescribed fire plan before proceeding.”

By planning this project now, crews can take advantage of cooler temperatures in the forecast. The burn units are bordered by roads and control features, as well as lands that have been previously treated with fire. Ignitions are scheduled to begin early in the day to allow most of the smoke to disperse before nightfall. Light winds will carry smoke to the northeast away from town during the day, and the continued breezes overnight will help keep residual smoke from settling around the community. Smoke will likely be visible from State Route 64, the Town of Tusayan, and the Grand Canyon.

Prescribed fires like the Reed Project are part of the Forest Service’s comprehensive 10-year strategy for protecting communities and improving resilience in America’s forests. The intent of the Wildfire Management Strategy is to increase fuels treatments that help firefighters respond safely to incidents, restore and maintain resilient landscapes, and create fire-adapted communities. The plan calls for treating up to an additional 20 million acres of National Forest System lands, and up to an additional 30 million acres of other federal, state, tribal and private lands.

All prescribed fires on the Kaibab National Forest are subject to approval by the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality. The department provides details about its air quality program online at legacy.azdeq.gov/environ/air/smoke.

Additional details about this spring’s prescribed fire plans on the Williams and Tusayan Ranger Districts can be found on Inciweb at inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5922. For additional Kaibab fire information visit the Kaibab NF website, follow @KaibabNF on Twitter and Facebook, or call the Fire Information Recorded Hotline at 928-635-8311.