Tonto fire specialists plan to burn approximately 75 acres of piles Feb. 3-6 on the Cave Creek Ranger District near the Vista Verde subdivision from 164th Street and the Forest Service boundary to west/southwest of 176th Street following the Forest Service boundary to Rio Verde Drive.
Residents and visitors to the area can expect to see and smell moderate amounts of smoke during the four-day operation. In addition to the burn area, smoke will impact Rio Verde Foothills and Vista Verde during the day.
In the evening, smoke will hover from the burn area to Rio Verde Foothills and Vista Verde. Residual smoke may linger thru Feb. 8. To minimize smoke impacts, fire personnel will end ignitions by 3 p.m. each day.
Signs will be posted on roads that are likely to be affected by smoke. Motorists are urged to use caution when driving through the area, and to slow down for the safety of firefighters working in the area, and the public.
This project will reduce excess fuels that have built up, which pose a fire threat to the community and responding fire fighters. These burns also enhance range, watershed, and wildlife habitat.
Prescribed fires always are dependent on the right conditions which include temperature, wind speed and direction, fuel moisture content, and relative humidity.
