FLAGSTAFF, Ariz., Sept. 30, 2023 – The acreage of the Cecil Fire, located southwest of Flagstaff, remains unchanged at 2,180 acres as of Saturday morning as crews continue to hold off on firing operations and focus on securing line during this weekend’s wind event.
The Cecil Fire is burning on both Coconino National Forest and Arizona State Trust lands, and a closure order has been issued for the fire area.
Fire managers spent Thursday and Friday holding the fire and are continuing to prep lines for possible future firing operations.
Firefighters will be deployed across the fire perimeter today to continue to secure the fire’s edge. Crews are also continuing to prep lines north of Black Pass on the north side of the fire and off Woody Ridge toward Forest Road (FR) 532B on the east side of the fire for the possibility of additional firing operations this week if conditions allow.
Firefighters will staff the fire overnight through the duration of the wind event. There are no structures at risk.
Firing operations removes fuels – such as dead trees and pine needle accumulation – from the forest floor to reduce the risk of high-intensity wildfire.
The Cecil Fire is being managed to reduce those hazardous fuels and improve forest health as guided by Forest Service’s 10-year Wildfire Crisis Strategy.
Resources assigned to the Cecil Fire include two Hotshot crews, two hand crews, six engines, a dozer, a water tender and miscellaneous overhead for a total of 111 personnel.
While smoke impact may decrease over the coming days, smoke will remain noticeable in both the Flagstaff and Sedona areas as well as along 89A. For current information on smoke, visit the Fire and Smoke Map via airnow.gov.
The Cecil Fire was first reported Sept. 18 and is burning in Ponderosa pine.
For more information on the Cecil Fire, visit InciWeb for fire updates throughout the coming days.
Smoke impact and future wildfire mitigation
The Coconino NF is a fire-adapted ecosystem, which needs incremental fire to maintain forest resiliency.
We recognize smoke can be impactful and inconvenient for area residents and visitors. Managing these fires and reducing the hazardous fuels in these areas of the forest under the current weather conditions will temporarily produce heavy smoke impacts, but it will also reduce the amount of fuel on the ground and help protect communities from high-intensity wildfires. If a future wildfire starts in this area, it will be more manageable and it will result in fewer overall smoke impacts to the communities.