Lightning caused Browns fire at 200 acres

BROWNS FIRE NEAR TONTO BASIN

PHOENIX (July 29, 2014) – The lightning caused Browns fire was reported July 26, at 2:15 p.m. It is burning on the north side of Browns Peak in the Four Peaks Wilderness Area, 10 miles south of Tonto Basin.

The fire, which is being managed for resource benefit, has reached 200 acres and is expected to grow to 400 acres this weekend.  It is burning in chaparral brush and pinyon-juniper fuel types.

The ridge formed by Four Peaks divides the Mesa and Tonto Basin Ranger Districts. Fire activity has been low and the fire is backing down both sides of the ridge consuming dead and down fuels left from the 1996 Lone fire. Fire activity and smoke may increase due to a drying trend through the end of the week. Fire crews continue to monitor the fire’s progress.

A closure order has been enacted for the area affected by the fire and includes: Forest Road (FR) 648, Lone Pine Trailhead, Forest Trail (FT) 130 (Four Peaks Trail), FT 133 (Browns Trail) and FT 134 (Pigeon Trail).

Due to the location and recent monsoonal moisture, the fire poses no immediate risk to life, safety, property or resources.

Management for resource benefit minimizes risk and exposure to firefighters in addition the wildfire will improve and benefit natural resources.  Benefits to natural resources derived from these types of fires include:

• Reduction of heavy fuel loading that diminishes the threat of catastrophic wildfire.
• Reintroduction of fire into the landscape to perform its historical role of cleaning the forest floor of dead and down vegetation, eliminating sickly trees, which helps healthy trees that survived the Lone fire.
• Raising the crown base height. The crown base simply means the lowest limbs on an individual tree that would allow a ground fire to climb into those limbs and transition the fire vertically up into the tree to create a crown fire. 
• Recycling valuable nutrients back into the soil.
• Maintaining and improving wildlife habitat.

Visitors and residents will see light-to-moderate smoke from the surrounding communities and as far away at Payson.  The possibility of smoke settling in the Tonto Basin are overnight exists.