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Southwest Incident Management Team 1 will transfer command of the fire back to a Type 3 team tomorrow. 

Daily Update: January 12, 2025

Acres: 8,346 Containment: 80% Start Date: December 14, 2024
Location: Payson Ranger District, Arizona Cause: Under Investigation

Personnel: 282 Fuels: Timber, chaparral
Resources: 2 crews | 11 engines | 1 helicopter | 1 bulldozer | 1 water tender

Highlights: Suppression repair work continues, as personnel downsize in preparation of transferring management of the fire back to a Type 3 team from the Tonto National Forest at 0700 on January 13, 2025. As of last night, AZ Department of Transportation removed the lane restrictions on SR-260. The increase in fire acreage is due to more accurate mapping. Crews will continue to search for areas of hot spots to ensure nothing escapes the containment lines.

Operations: Yesterday, firefighters connected the containment line between Christopher Creek and SR-260. Suppression repair work has been completed in the Christopher Creek area and will continue in surrounding areas today. Mop up along SR-260 is ongoing, and it is expected that smoke will continue to be seen along the highway. As operations downsize, firefighters will patrol and monitor the Horton Fire while working on additional suppression repair priorities.

Weather: Light winds and cool temperatures are expected to continue.

Smoke: Smoke will be visible in the area as pockets of vegetation burn well within the interior of the fire’s footprint. For more information visit https://outlooks.wildlandfiresmoke.net/outlook/

TFR: A Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR 5/1983) is in place for the Horton Fire through January 31. More information is available at https://tfr.faa.gov/save_pages/detail_5_1983.html. Intruding the flight restriction area puts firefighter safety and operations at risk.

Evacuations, Road Closures and Forest Orders: As of January 10, 2025, all communities have returned to the READY evacuation status. The health and safety of firefighters and the public are always the priority. Members of the public are asked to avoid the area while firefighters continue their work. Visit https://www.facebook.com/GCPHCS/ for more information on evacuation notifications.

A Forest closure order is in effect to protect public health and safety during the Horton Fire as well as protecting firefighting personnel engaging in wildland firefighting operations. More information can be found at https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/tonto/alerts-notices

Work continues along SR-260 and travelers are encouraged to be mindful of fire traffic throughout the day. Find current roadway status and conditions via AZ Department of Transportation at https://www.az511.com/