Tagged: Gladiator Fire

The Gladiator Fire has topped 16,000 acres, but the blaze has slowed considerably this week.  

It grew by leaps and bounds in its early days. 

A major reason has been the Red Flag weather warnings that have plagued most of the 12 days the fire has been burning.

But proper planning and frequent reevaluation has helped keep the fire at bay.

Gerry Perry with the Gladiator Fire Incident Management Team said, "“Every day there’s a strategy that’s briefed, and the firefighters are deployed in accordance with that strategy.”

The Gladiator Fire grew only a small amount Wednesday despite weather conditions that had previously made the fire grow rapidly.  

The fire's damage now stands at 15,600 acres.  The fire made no significant gains on Wednesday. 

Containment levels have also stayed the same at 26%.

Large flames continue to burn on the interior of the fire, but fire lines and hot shot crews are containing the spread of the fire.

High winds and low humidity continue to keep a red flag warning in effect in the area.

The growth of the Gladiator Fire seems to have stalled despite high winds and dry conditions.  

The fire did not add any acreage overnight.  It stands at 15,600 acres.

The fire is 26% contained, and fire crews seem to have a good hold on the fire in crucial areas, such as the borders creeping towards Crown King and Towers Mountain.

Gerry Perry with the Gladiator Fire Incident Management Team describes how the line is holding near Tower Mountain.

Red Flag warnings are causing the Gladiator Fire to spread quicker than it has in recent days. 

The damage increased over 600 acres since Monday.  It now stands at just over 15,600 acres.

Control numbers continue to rise, with the fire now 26% contained.

Some of the resources used on the fire are being diverted to new wildfires in Arizona.

Gerry Perry with the Gladiator Fire Incident Management Team:

“We did lose four air tankers that left for other fires.”

That leaves the fire crew with two flame-retardant dropping planes.

Fire crews continue to fight the Gladiator Fire in Prescott National Forest. 

The fire has now burned more than 15,000 acres.

Fire crews have been working on holding back the southern and eastern fronts of the fire in order to protect the small communities in the area.

Southwesterly winds are now gusting up to 25 miles per hour, testing the lines that crews have built.

Despite the large size of the fire, there has not been much damage to man-made structures in the area.