Chiricahua Mountains … another “sky island” turned to ash
by Hugh Holub on Jun. 05, 2011, under environment water and energy, politics
Credit: Dyan Bone Posted on InciWeb
UPDATE: JUNE 15, 2011: 12:47 PM: The Horseshoe Two fire over in the Chiricahua Mountains keeps on burning and burning and burning…now over 171,000 acres. It is 53% contained as of 6/13/11.
From the Arizona Republic June 8, 2011: Letter from Sue Krentz:
U.S. government not protecting us
Jun. 8, 2011 12:00 AM
Lying in bed the other night, I thought of better times when we could count on our federal government to protect our border and allow us to manage landscape fuels and forage with our livestock. Then, I was jarred awake and realized it was only a dream. The days of security haven’t been seen in my family’s part of southeastern Arizona for nearly two decades. Thieves and international criminals have been allowed to roam; and now, another thief is knocking at our door – an unnecessary wildfire known as the Horseshoe Two.
Those of us who live on these lands are feeling scared and ignored. The government’s failures are stacking up and smothering us in smoke and fire. The litany of failures and mistakes is beginning to look like the Keystone Kops, only this is my real life. It is the beautiful Chiricahuas, the beautiful ranches and real people. Our family, like many other ranching families, has had the privilege to have lived here for generations as good stewards of the land. It seems all our work to protect it has been ignored. Many tears have been shed as we returned to see burned pastures. While we feel under siege, we are working on solutions and to unshackle the heavy load of lawlessness and mismanagement. It is time to demand the federal government listen to its local communities and open their eyes to local customs, cultures and historical knowledge of these lands in southeastern Arizona. – Sue Krentz, Douglas
Credit: Todd Abel SWIMT Posted on InciWeb
Incident Overview
The Horseshoe 2 Fire started on May 8 in Horseshoe Canyon on the Douglas Ranger District of the Coronado National Forest in southeast Arizona. It was determined to be human caused and is currently under investigation. Driven by gusty southwest winds, the fire grew to over 9,000 acres on the first day. Extreme fire behavior was caused by unprecedented dry fuel mositures, an abundance of fuel caused by a frost kill of oak this past winter and strong, erratic winds. Evacuations of Portal area residents was neccessary the first night of the fire.
As the fire continued its growth to the northwest more evacuations occured including the communities of Cave Creek Canyon, Paradise, Whitetail Canyon, West Turkey Creek and West Pinery Canyon. Structure protection was initiated in all these areas, but some losses occured. To date 9 residences and 14 outbuildings have been damaged or destroyed. Many of these evacuations have now been lifted as the fire moved past these areas. Chiricahua National Monument in the northern portion of the fire was closed on June 9 and remains closed.
There have been three Type I Incident Management Teams that have managed the fire. All of them found it very diffucult to control the fire due to the steep terrain, lack of access, and extreme weather conditions.
Basic Information
Incident Type Wildfire Cause Human, Under Investigation Date of Origin Sunday May 08th, 2011 approx. 11:00 AM Location T28S R31E Sect 32, Near Portal, AZ Incident Commander Jim Thomas Current Situation
Total Personnel 1,400 Size 184,198 acres Percent Contained 60% Estimated Containment Date Wednesday June 22nd, 2011 approx. 06:00 PM Fuels Involved Mixed conifer, oak brush, pinyon,juniper, ponderosa pine and grasses. Fire Behavior Topography is causing shifting winds even with a westerly flow. Experiencing group torching with moderate runs and spotting in steep drainages. Significant Events Successfully feathered low intensity fire through much of Chiricahua National Monument using ridgetops and carefully applied ground ignition. Completed burnouts around buildings in the Monument last night.Held containment lines in divisions AA, DD and JJ despite strong east winds. Added to overall containment percentage and nearing completion of indirect containment lines. Outlook
Planned Actions Continue aerial ignition within Chiricahua National Monument and division A. Maintain structure protection within the Monument, Pinery Road and West Turkey Creek. The evacuation order for Whitetail is expected to be lifted tomorrow. Complete the tie-in of fireline between divisions MM and PP. Growth Potential Extreme Terrain Difficulty Extreme Current Weather
Temperature 93 degrees Humidity 1% Incident Overview
The Horseshoe 2 Fire started on May 8 in Horseshoe Canyon on the Douglas Ranger District of the Coronado National Forest in southeast Arizona. It was determined to be human caused and is currently under investigation. Driven by gusty southwest winds, the fire grew to over 9,000 acres on the first day. Extreme fire behavior was caused by unprecedented dry fuel mositures, an abundance of fuel caused by a frost kill of oak this past winter and strong, erratic winds. Evacuations of Portal area residents was neccessary the first night of the fire.
As the fire continued its growth to the northwest more evacuations occured including the communities of Cave Creek Canyon, Paradise, Whitetail Canyon, West Turkey Creek and West Pinery Canyon. Structure protection was initiated in all these areas, but some losses occured. To date 9 residences and 14 outbuildings have been damaged or destroyed. Many of these evacuations have now been lifted as the fire moved past these areas. Chiricahua National Monument in the northern portion of the fire was closed on June 9 and remains closed.
There have been three Type I Incident Management Teams that have managed the fire. All of them found it very diffucult to control the fire due to the steep terrain, lack of access, and extreme weather conditions.
Basic Information
Incident Type Wildfire Cause Human, Under Investigation Date of Origin Sunday May 08th, 2011 approx. 11:00 AM Location T28S R31E Sect 32, Near Portal, AZ Incident Commander Jim Thomas Current Situation
Total Personnel 1,314 Size 171,333 acres Percent Contained 53% Estimated Containment Date Wednesday June 22nd, 2011 approx. 06:00 PM Fuels Involved Mixed conifer, oak brush, pinyon juniper and grasses. Fire Behavior Winds are actively backing the fire where grass and brush is the predominant fuel. Grass component will carry fire with a solid flame front until it hits a containment line. Single and group tree torching has been observed on all aspects throughout the day and into the early morning. Significant Events A GPS flight and recon was conducted using a LTAN of the active fireline within the containment perimeter for long term fire behavior modeling and fire effects. Local utility companies continue to repair power lines and poles in areas that are safe. Continued mop-up around structures in Turkey Creek prior to allowing residents to return. Aerial ignition (PSD) is being used along ridges within the Chiricahua National Monument to reduce fire intensity as the fire perimeter continues further into the Monument. Outlook
Planned Actions Construction of indirect line and burnout progresses along the west flank of the fire where terrain is more favorable. Continue evaluation of proposed indirect line location in coordination with resource advisors and local agencies. Maintain structure protection and continue to mop up around structures in Whitetail, Pinery Road, and Turkey Creek. Continue selective aerial ignition (PSD) when conditions are favorable to minimize fire intensity in the proposed wilderness area on the north end of the Coronado National Forest and Chiricahua National Monument. Continue assessment for fireline rehab in the inactive interior helispots and drop points. Growth Potential Extreme Terrain Difficulty Extreme Current Weather
Temperature 91 degrees Humidity 4%
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COMMENTARY: As you can see from the map of what has been burnt, a great majority of the Chiricahua Mountain forest lands have been burned. By the time this fire is over, the pine forest may be pretty much gone in that range.
Back in the early 1960′s I spent some time at Camp Pine in the Chiricahuas…which is located below Barfoot mountain.
The camp is saved (so far) but Barfoot is burned.
It will probably be 100 years or more before that country looks anything like what I remember.
The same story is being repeated all over the West and especially in Arizona.
We have moved into a time of massive fires…major portions of the pine forest high country is gone. If this trend continues ponderosa pines will just be a memory here. Our “sky islands” will look more like barren volcanic islands.
The oak forest south of Tucson are also going up in flames. We’ve had 6 fires down here this season with the Murphy Fire still going strong and headed into the Atascosa Mountains.
Maybe this is a sign of global warming. Whether human caused or not, the southwest has always been experiencing climate change…swinging from wetter times tro extreme drougth. The bark beetles have not helped the situation. And neither did 100 years of aggressive fire prevention that allowed our forests to become giant dried out wood piles.
Adding to the sense of loss as our mountains burn is the growing anger over what many believe are fires deliberately set by drug smugglers in the borderlands.
There are reports around the region that folks intercepted radio transmissions from cartel scouts instructing diversionary fires to be set in the Chiricahuas.
The Murphy Fire started at a location widely understood locally to be on a smuggler trail.
The people of the borderlands are sick and tired of all the trash that has been accumulating in the countryside from migration.
They are fed up with fence cutting and car thefts.
They are frightened over the rising levels of border violance and guys running around at night with automatic weapons.
They are sickened over the humanitarian side of this with dead immigrant bodies all over the place and rape trees.
They are boiling mad over the death of Douglas rancher Robert Krentz and Border Patrol agent Brian Terry.
And now the ranches are being destroyed by wildfires and the beautiful high country turned to smoke and charcoal.
Environmentalists fight against giving the Border Patrol access to wildlands at the border…so…now the Chiricahua Mountains are turning into cinders…now the Tumacacor Highlands “wilderness area” is a wilderness of burnt stumps.
I remember the first time I saw the grey moonscape of a fire-ravged mountainside…in Miller Canyon in the Huachucas. Lots of toothpick tree trunks sticking out of grey lands that used to be covered with green trees.
Same for the east side of the Rincons.
Same for parts of the Catalinas.
Same for parts of the Santa Ritas.
Lots of places in southern Arizona I loved to visit…to hike in…to enjoy…gone now and gone for generations.
If in fact these fires were started by drug smugglers or illegal migrants…shame on them. The selfishness involved in destroying the countryside for personal gain is not going to allow anyone to take “immigration reform” seriously.
And where are the environmental groups demanding more security at the border to stop the people from getting into our wildlands and burning them down? Strangely silent on that front. Instead, some advocate tearing down the fence so deer can roam free across the border.
Losing our wildlands to fire is a spiritual shock.
And if this is a result of failed immigration and border security policies, environmental tunnel-vision, and reckless people passing through….you bet a whole lot of people are rocking back and forth between weeping and rage right now.
The city folk might want to run us rural folks off the range…but we all love this country like it is part of our family.
And our family is being burnt down.
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The fire next door….this time in Tubac..updated information
Politically correct fire stories…who is burning down our wildlands?
Forest Service Takes Heat Over Using Fire Retardant to Fight Wildfires
June 5th, 2011 on 3:02 pm
The mountains and the forests are here for the long haul. You and I are here for a moment.
June 5th, 2011 on 3:15 pm
FYI The smuggling organization No More Deaths and the Sierra Club are defiantly in bed together, check out their websites. www.nomoredeathsarivaca.info
June 5th, 2011 on 10:22 pm
Karl, you are being deliberately misleading. The link you have posted does not go to NMD’s website. It goes to the website of some kind of nativist militant organization, a group akin to the Minutemen. Crackpot reactionaries.
June 5th, 2011 on 8:20 pm
The Chiricahua Apaches of the 16th to the late 19th Century would be really pissed.
June 5th, 2011 on 9:25 pm
I’ve seen the same resiliency in other parts of the country. Your comment about the “million year drought” made me chuckle. We egocentric humans measure everything by our time table and want nature to fit into our idea of how things should be.
June 6th, 2011 on 7:37 am
The only evidence provided is a link to an organization of conspiracy-theory prone crackpots. Even if it is true, so what? I happen to know that the NRA is in bed with the Republican Party.
June 6th, 2011 on 6:44 pm
If the NRA and the GOP are “descent” (sic) and “upstanding”, then NMD’s and the Sierra Club have to be almost god-like.
My parents used to live near Mr. Nugent out in the woods of Michigan. They moved because they got tired of hearing the moron shot his submachine guns. What an idiot.
June 6th, 2011 on 8:32 pm
I urge Ted to exercise his 2nd amendment rights regularly. The more he does this, the greater the chance he will shoot himself and put the rest of us out of his misery.
June 6th, 2011 on 5:31 pm
I know the solution lets send the armed forces dressed as fire fighters. They can just shoot the fire out cause they are so awesome. Isn’t that right oo7!
June 8th, 2011 on 5:08 am
The drug cartels are responsible because the US backed Mexico in the drug war. This is just a warning. They will stop short of something like 911 that will rally the US to fight them, but this is bad enough, and the problem lies in those drug addicts, the “sick men of the west” if you know what I mean, who are financing the cartels,.
June 10th, 2011 on 6:35 pm
Global warming? Seriously?
Try “no burn” policies started many years ago, Clinton administration being the most notorious in an attempt to pacify the environmentalists. Centuries of built up fuels have turned most of the US into summertime tinderboxes and the Wallow fire is only a single example of what happens.
Hugh, it disturbs me that you are allowed to post this nonsensical, misinformed, drivel and people actually take it seriously. Do you actually do ANY research on what you post or just vomit your mental diarrhea into the keyboard and see what shows up on the screen?
Seriously dude, get a clue.