Bottom Fire burns 3,000 acres near Bylas
A lightning-caused wildfire, dubbed the Bottom Fire, has burned more than 3,000 acres since it began Monday in an area about 7 miles west of Bylas, fire officials said Thursday.
The fire was discovered burning in a dry riverbed in the Gila River on San Carlos Apache tribal land, according to InciWeb, a wildfire tracking website operated by the U.S. Forest Service.
The area’s brush, tall grasses and chaparral shrub are the fire’s main fuel sources.
A larger fire management team, Southwest Area Type 2 Incident Management, took over command of the fire Thursday morning to bring in additional resources and management capabilities to an “increasingly complex” fire, according to InciWeb.
Winds in the area increased fire activity until heavy rains dampened the fire area Thursday afternoon. Due to an early monsoon push, humidity levels are expected to elevate because of scattered showers and storms forecasted through the weekend.
Fire crews are developing a strategy to construct indirect fire lines — a break in potential fuel sources — in front of the main fire. Crews will use bulldozers to remove dense vegetation in the river corridor and direct special attention to protecting cultural resources in the area like the Eastern Arizona Railway infrastructure, according to InciWeb.
Smoke from the Bottom Fire will remain visible for many communities in the vicinity of the fire, and smoke-sensitive individuals with respiratory problems or heart disease are encouraged to take precautionary measures.
An interactive smoke map is available for latest Bottom Fire smoke information at Air Now.The public is asked to stay clear of the fire area.