Wildfire News

Fire managers on the Prescott National Forest's Bradshaw Ranger District are planning to begin ignitions Wednesday on debris piles in and near the Prescott Basin.

The Coconino County Board of Supervisors has approved a plan to secure a $50 million federal grant for Schultz and Pipeline fire flood mitigation projects.

In the wake of two devastating wildfires on the San Francisco Peaks in 2022, forest managers are proposing a host of new restrictions designed to reduce human-caused ignitions. They would ban camping and fires in more areas near Flagstaff and prohibit vehicle access on parts of the Coconino National Forest surrounding the peaks under heightened fire restrictions.

The federal government will allocate nearly $500 million to hazardous fuels reduction in areas with high risk of wildfire in several western states.

Smoke is visible today in the Flagstaff area due to a prescribed pile burn on the Coconino National Forest.

Forest officials say the proposed changes “address the immediate concern for future large human-caused wildfires and are part of a long-term risk reduction strategy focused on forest health and resiliency.”

A state legislative committee formed to evaluate state and federal wildfire policy has released its final report, but offers no recommendations.

National forest officials in northern Arizona are taking advantage of wet and snowy conditions to conduct pile burns in the coming weeks.