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Prescribed burn near Flagstaff creates large smoke plume

The Horseshoe-Wild Bill prescribed burn project 11 miles northwest of Flagstaff was in its second day on Thu, June 15, 2023 as crews ignited more than 1,300 acres.
Coconino National Forest/USFS
The Horseshoe-Wild Bill prescribed burn project 11 miles northwest of Flagstaff was in its second day on Thu, June 15, 2023 as crews ignited more than 1,300 acres.

A prescribed burn in its second day is producing a large column of smoke north of the San Francisco Peaks.

The 1,300-acre Horseshoe-Wild Bill project is 11 miles northwest of Flagstaff on the west side of Highway 180.

Crews are reintroducing fire into the ecosystem to reduce forest fuels and reduce the risk of severe wildfires.

It’s part of the U.S. Forest Service’s Wildfire Crisis Strategy, a 10-year plan designed to reduce the threat of wildfire in places where it most threatens communities.

More than 20 landscapes nationwide are part of the project. This spring, fire managers in northern Arizona have conducted several prescribed burns and are also managing lightning-caused wildfires for forest health.