Highway 191 Road Closure Extended to July 4

 Bringham Fire - June 26 - 28, 2020 Update

Highway 191 remains closed in both directions between Mile Marker 189 past Juan Miller Road and Mile Marker 225 at Blue Vista. This closure will remain in place through July 4, 2020 and may be extended as needed. Members of the public are advised to drive with caution and leave roadways clear for emergency vehicles and equipment to pass. More information can be found at https://azdot.gov/adot-news/us-191-closed-eastern-arizona-mountains-due-bringham-fire.

On Thursday, fire crews utilized helicopter resources to suppress hot spots along the fires perimeter and reduce its spread towards VT Cabin. These aerial resources are also being utilized to evaluate additional suppression needs in Strayhorse Canyon. On Thursday, a small area of the fire line was breached in Strayhorse Canyon, but helicopters were able to cool it down with bucket drops. Today lookouts will be posted to keep a watchful eye on the Blue River Ranches north east of the Bringham fire. Hot and dry weather will continue today with winds nearing Red Flag conditions. The weather is expected to be more active through the weekend with isolated dry thunderstorms in the forecast.

Ash flow from post-fire events can have detrimental impacts on aquatic species and sometimes results in fish kill. To mitigate this potential, two federally endangered and one Forest Service sensitive fish species were recently captured from the lower Blue River. Arizona Game and Fish personnel salvaged Loach Minnow, Spikedace, and Roundtail Chub from the Blue River at Juan Miller crossing. The decision to salvage was agreed upon by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Arizona Game and Fish Department, and the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests due to concerns about post-fire impacts from the Brigham Fire impacting fish populations. Over 800 fish were then transported to the upper Blue River and Campbell Blue Creek and released.

Fire Information Officers are available from 8:00AM to 8:00PM at (928) 288-2154 or email at mailto:2020.bringham@firenet.gov. Fire information can be found at the following links:

• InciWeb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6747/

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/apachesitgreavesnfs/

• Temporary Closure Order: https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/asnf/alerts-notices/?cid=stelprd3793918

• Southwest Region Smoke Outlook:https://wildlandfiresmoke.net/outlooks/SouthwesternRegion

• Bringham Fire Story Map: http://www.fs.usda.gov/goto/BringhamFireWebMap