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Crews begin final day of ignitions on prescribed burn south of Flagstaff

Mormon Lake Hotshots Squad Leader Jake Buchanan uses a drip torch to ignite about 600 acres Fri, May 10, 2024 as part of the 3Echo prescribed burn project near Mountainaire.
Ryan Heinsius/KNAU
Mormon Lake Hotshots Squad Leader Jake Buchanan uses a drip torch to ignite about 600 acres Fri, May 10, 2024 as part of the 3Echo prescribed burn project near Mountainaire.

Fire managers on the Coconino National Forest conducted a third and final day of a prescribed burn project about five miles south of Flagstaff Friday.

Crews ignited about 600 acres as part of the long-standing 3Echo Prescribed Burn project between Lower Lake Mary and Mountainaire at about 1 p.m. Earlier this week, firefighters burned about 4,000 acres.

“This is land management in real time,” said Coconino Supervisor Aaron Mayville. “What we’re doing is reducing the fuels across the landscape and trying to ultimately reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire while also, restoration, and restoring the forest to a healthy condition.”

Mormon Lake Hotshots Squad Leader Jake Buchanan conducts ignitions on the 3Echo prescribed burn project south of Flagstaff on Fri, May 10, 2024.
Ryan Heinsius/KNAU
Mormon Lake Hotshots Squad Leader Jake Buchanan conducts ignitions on the 3Echo prescribed burn project south of Flagstaff on Fri, May 10, 2024.

Fire managers delayed the project last week because of precipitation but went ahead with the three-day burn Wednesday after deciding the conditions were right.

“Part of the challenge is really the weather, so last week we couldn’t do it,” says Flagstaff District Ranger Matt McGrath.

He describes the burn as “high complexity” because of its proximity to the Flagstaff airport, Mountainaire, south Flagstaff and Lake Mary Road. Fire managers also are eager to complete as much prescribed burning as they can prior to Memorial Day Weekend, the unofficial start of the area’s fire season.

“That complexity lends itself to being very difficult to time, so we have a really short window to implement or execute prescribed fire,” McGrath says.

Smoke from the 3Echo project could continue impact the Flagstaff area throughout Friday afternoon and evening. Officials have several other prescribed burns planned in the coming weeks near Flagstaff and elsewhere.

Ryan Heinsius joined the KNAU newsroom as executive producer in 2013 and was named news director and managing editor in 2024. As a reporter, he has covered a broad range of stories from local, state and tribal politics to education, economy, energy and public lands issues, and frequently interviews internationally known and regional musicians. Ryan is an Edward R. Murrow Award winner and a Public Media Journalists Association Award winner, and a frequent contributor to NPR's Morning Edition, All Things Considered and national newscast.