FLAGSTAFF — The Flagstaff Fire Department is planning a prescribed burn on Tuesday, May 21 in the Observatory Mesa Natural Area off Forest Service Rd 515A and Westridge Rd. The burn area is approximately 123 acres. Sections of the Observatory Mesa Trail will be closed to the public during firing operations. The Mars Hill, Tunnel Springs, and Karen Cooper FUTS trails will remain open. There will be an increased firefighter presence in the area during the hours of 7 a.m. and 4 p.m.
Smoke is expected to drift to the northeast over the neighborhoods of Westridge, Anasazi Ridge and Ridge Crest. Fire managers will coordinate with neighboring national forests, national parks, fire departments, and the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality to monitor smoke impacts.
Prescribed burns help to restore forests to healthier conditions and improve the safety of the communities around them. Frequent, low-intensity fire removes accumulated smaller fuels and recycles nutrients in the soils to promote healthy vegetation and wildlife habitat. While some prescribed burns take place in remote locations, others, like the prescribed burns that the Flagstaff Fire Department routinely conducts, target small, forested areas directly next to neighborhoods and other developments within a community.
All prescribed burns are weather-dependent. For regularly updated information about planned prescribed burns, visit flagstaff.az.gov/4894/Upcoming-Prescribed-Fire-Plans For related questions, please contact Mark Adams, City of Flagstaff Wildland Community Risk Reduction Specialist, at 928-213-2510 or Mark.Adams@flagstaffaz.gov