The two fires southeast of Tusayan, Ariz., continued slow but steady growth this weekend. The McRae Fire grew by 74 acres, reaching a total size of 5,071 acres and the Hammer Fire grew by 371 acres to a total size of 596 acres.
“We have been lucky that the rain received on other areas of the forest hasn’t been as heavy on our two resource-benefit fires,” said Quentin Johnson, incident commander for the McRae Complex and fire management officer for the Tusayan Ranger District of the Kaibab National Forest. “Our goal is to allow the natural spread of these fires to reduce hazardous fuels, improve wildlife habitat, and meet other natural and cultural resource objectives.”
Some managed ignitions were conducted on the east side of State Highway 64, but McRae Fire managers had to limit the amount burned due to smoke impacts to the highway. Smoke mitigation has been a priority for fire managers since the McRae Fire was started by lightning on July 4. The McRae Fire is not expected to grow much on Sunday due to a steady drizzle of rain on the fire Saturday night.
The area of the Hammer Fire received rain overnight, so crews may be able to burn slash piles today that are located along Forest Road 310 within the predetermined boundary established for the Hammer Fire. Due to the precipitation on Saturday, fire managers expected less growth on the Hammer Fire on Sunday.
On the Williams Ranger District of the Kaibab National Forest, the Sitgreaves Complex remains dormant for the moment due to several days of precipitation, according to authorities. The 4,150-acre fire is not expected to be active over the next few days. Some smoke is still visible on the Sitgreaves Complex, leading fire managers to believe that resurgence is possible when conditions dry out. In the meantime, crews will continue monitoring the fire.