WILLIAMS, Ariz., Jan. 13, 2020 - Fire crews on the Williams Ranger District on the Kaibab National Forest will be igniting about 150 acres of hand piles beginning Monday morning of this week along forest roads 111 and 122 about 5 miles south of Williams.  Operations could continue for up to three days providing conditions remain favorable for meeting fuels reduction objectives.

The protection of communities and vital resources from the threat of high-intensity wildfires has been identified as a top priority by multiple state, county, and federal land management agencies. This fuels reduction work is part of the ongoing forest restoration initiative that will be continuing in and around forested landscapes across northern Arizona.

Piles typically burn rapidly and produce far less smoke for shorter durations than larger broadcast burns over the landscape. Smoke may be visible from areas around the city of Williams and from the I-40 corridor during the day, however is not expected to linger after piles have consumed.

Air quality will be monitored closely and actions will be taken as necessary to minimize the effects on residential developed areas.

All prescribed burns are subject to approval from the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality. Members of the public may view approved prescribed burns for any given day on the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality’s website at smoke.azdeq.gov/

To learn more about smoke and public health, visit http://bit.ly/SmokeHealthAwareness

Notifications of upcoming prescribed fire projects are provided regularly by news releases throughout the year and through the following sources:

•        InciWeb: inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5922/ 

•        Kaibab National Forest Website: www.fs.usda.gov/kaibab

•        Twitter: www.twitter.com/KaibabNF

•        Facebook: www.facebook.com/KaibabNF

•        Fire Information Recorded Hotline: (928) 635-8311