Crooks Fire: 6,400 acres burn; some residents return
The Crooks Fire burning near Mount Union, about 10 miles south of Prescott, increased in size, causing the containment to drop to 16% Tuesday.
According to Inciweb, a website that tracks wildfire information, the fire was at 6,454 acres as of Tuesday morning, although the National Interagency Fire Command website shows the blaze was at about 7,872 acres.
The fire was reported on April 18, and the cause is still under investigation.
The Yavapai County Sheriff ’s Office updated areas under evacuation and “set” status Tuesday evening.
The following areas are under “go” or evacuation status:
Mountain Pine Acres
Breezy Pines
Potato Patch
South Walker
Lookout Mountain
Mount Tridal
The U.S. Forest Service said fire crews wrapped Palace Station Historic Stagecoach Stop Cabin in a foil-like wrap designed to reflect heat away from the structure and cleared brush and low-hanging branches near it. The cabin is located in Crooks Canyon, roughly 17 miles south of Prescott.
The Prescott National Forest tweeted Tuesday afternoon that a community meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday at Embry Riddle University for an update on the fire. The meeting will also be livestreamed on the Prescott National Forest’s Facebook page.
Winds pushed smoke from the fire north toward Prescott with reports of ash falling in Prescott and Prescott Valley on Monday afternoon, according to InciWeb.
Kyle Jacobson, an operations section chief for the Crooks Fire, said Monday that the fire became less active as the day progressed and crews used “aviation assets” to drop retardant on the southern parts of the fire while utilizing other tactics to prevent the fire from spreading further west.
“On Tuesday, very low humidity will combine with increasing south winds to produce near critical fire weather conditions,” Inciweb states.
A post from the city of Prescott said that smoke impacts may continue through the week.
Fire outlook and smoke forecast
Winds pushed the fire farther south and west on Monday, resulting in its growth.
Firefighters continued working on building fire lines south of Lookout Mountain toward Ash Creek and from Moscow Peak to Senator Highway. Crews improved lines on the northern and eastern sides of the fire.
On Tuesday, firefighters tried to protect Lookout Mountain structures, and aircraft assisted ground crews, “aggressively attacking any fires,” according to an Inciweb update.
Crews were also building contingency lines to the west of the fire in case conditions changed.
About 746 personnel were working on the fire as of Tuesday morning.
Only two structures have been reported damaged since Monday, but additional information will be released when property locations have been verified and owners have been notified, forest officials said.
The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality gave an update on smoke from the fire, noting on Tuesday that winds will push the smoke toward Prescott, Prescott Valley and areas in Verde Valley.
Evacuations in effect for Crooks Fire
A “set” alert was sent to people living in Ponderosa Park, Pine Flat and West Poland Road on Tuesday afternoon, saying the fire was threatening their area and that they needed to be ready to evacuate.
People evacuated from Walker Road north of mile marker 10 and west of Big Bug Mesa were allowed to return to home. The area will remain in “set” status, however. A full list of streets where residents can return was posted on Facebook.
The American Red Cross said a shelter was set up for residents affected by the fire at the Yavapai College gymnasium, at 1100 E. Sheldon St. in Building 2, in Prescott.
If anyone has questions or needs assistance, they can stop by or call 1800-RED-CROSS (800-733-2767).