Arizona fire crews gain control of fires burning near Payson and Pine
Posted: September 24, 2024
Miguel Torres
Arizona Republic
Sept 23, 2024
The two wildfires that have been burning for a month near Payson and Pine saw major containment on Monday morning, according to the U.S. National Forest Service.
The West Fire, which has burned more than 13,000 acres since August 28, was 44% contained as of Monday morning, the Forest Service said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
Fire crews have nearly completed controlled burns around the southwest corner of the fire. They have been containing the fire by intentionally setting controlled burns around its perimeter to destroy potential fuel in advance, directing the fire toward natural barriers.
Fire crews fighting the West Fire were using both on-the-ground burns and aerial ignitions, which can include dropping a mixture of gasoline or gelled fuel from the air to ignite fires.
The Forest Service also announced that the Preacher Fire, which burned over 3,000 acres in a month, was fully contained. Crews were still patrolling to check for any remaining smoke in the area, according to officials.
