HikeArizona.COM

BUSH FIRE EVENING UPDATE: The Bush Fire started at approximately 2:00 pm today, near the intersection of Bush Hwy and Hwy 87. The fire is estimated to be 600 acres, and burning to the north towards the Sugarloaf Recreation area along the southbound lanes of Hwy 87. The fire has crossed Hwy 87 to the east and is now burning along Four Peaks Road. There is no containment at this time.

Currently there are 9 engines, 2 hotshot crews and 4 airtankers assigned to the fire. Three additional crews and multiple engines have been ordered, and are responding to the fire. Firefighters are working to hold the fire on the west side of Hwy 87, and are building containment lines and using firing operations to suppress the fire.

Hwy 87 is currently closed in both directions at the FS RD 143, which is the road to Four Peaks and Sugarloaf. At this time, Lower Sycamore Canyon, Sugarloaf Recreation area and Four Peaks Recreation area are closed. The Bush Fire is currently under investigation. Law enforcement personnel are conducting sweeps of the closure areas to safely escort members of public out of the fire area. No structures are threatened at this time and no injuries have been reported.

TLDR: 87 is closed at 4 peaks road and you will have to go through globe to get to payson

Edit: Now the reroute through globe is no longer viable, access between payson and phoenix is via camp verde

Edit2: Fire has been contained and the highways reopened, thanks to the firefighter crews.

Love it or hate it, the Bush fire sure is putting up an impressive headed smoke this afternoon.

I probably wont be hiking my frequent go-to trails along Bush until the fire is out and/or we get some rain to knock the smoke down.

This morning I hadn't reached the Granite Reef picnic area on Bush Hwy before feeling a raw throat so I quickly turned around and headed out to Apache Junction, where there was no smoke, no smell of fire and clear skies... at the moment anyway.

188 added to closure of Beeline. Globe re-route no longer viable. 260/I-17 best alternative for Payson travel right now. No estimates for reopening either highway.

6/15/20 11:33am
PHOENIX – The Bush Fire has now closed State Route 87 (Beeline Highway) from near Payson (milepost 251) to Bush Highway (milepost 199), according to the Arizona Department of Transportation.

Previously, SR 87 had been closed from the Bush Highway to State Route 188. This new closure extends the closure from SR 188 to near Payson.

Additionally, SR 188 is now closed between State Route 87 (milepost 244) and State Route 88 (milepost 276).

There are no estimated times for reopening. These are expected to be lengthy closures.

Motorists are asked to consider delaying travel or to use alternate routes. The detour through Globe is no longer viable. The best alternative is State Route 260 to Interstate 17.

Real-time highway conditions are available on ADOT’s Arizona Traveler Information site at az511.gov, by calling 511 and through ADOT’s Twitter feed,@ArizonaDOT(link is external). When a freeway closure or other major traffic event occurs, our free app available at ADOTAlerts.com(link is external) will send critical information directly to app users in affected areas – where possible, in advance of alternate routes.

The current fire map shows that it has already crossed the crest of the Mazzies and is running downhill in the area of the Denton Trail. Tonto Basin and Punkin Center are under mandatory evacuations ("go") and the fire is only about 5 miles from reaching the 188.

Pre-evacuation notice ("set") now announced for Sunflower.

All the posted photos by the Forest Service for the Bush fire can be viewed here:
Bush Fire photos

@chumley
Geeez, I shouldn't have complained about having to drive through Globe yesterday on my way back. Coming back through Camp Verde would have been worse.

I'm a little surprised that they are not lighting off the west side of HWY 188 and dropping tankers of surfactant out there. I can't imagine the winds are going to lessen with red flag warning for Northern Arizona the next few days.

Edited: I played with google street and there isn't a lot of fuel as you get close to HWY 188, so maybe they don't really need to?

Here is a link to a pic of the Bush fire that I took a few minutes ago from Fountain Hills
[ image ]

Everything is on fire except for my neighbor's stereo.

My Aunt and her little dog evacuated out of Tonto Basin today. They are staying in Flag with a friend. She lives slightly out of town past Butcher Hook and I hope she doesn't lose her mobile home. That would be pretty devastating for her at this point. I hope that 188 becomes a Fire Break, but with the winds forecasted for tomorrow, I'm worried. Don't want to lose Big Daddy's either, lol

outdoor_lover wrote: Don't want to lose Big Daddy's either, lol

I only ate there once, but it sure was good. Or maybe I was just really hungry.

@big_load
We ate there only once. Worst.....burrito......ever.... [ photo ] To be fair, I've heard from many that their pizzas are terrific. The oven was turned down when we were there. hence the burrito choice.

@LosDosSloFolks
I've never met anybody who liked the pizza who wasn't starved from a big day of hiking or drunkenly leaving the lake. Sort of like when you're backpacking and wolf down that dehydrated bag o' dinner and exclaim "This is so delicious, I would make it at home!" And then everybody comes to their senses and returns to reality.

Due to the fire’s growth and movement, the Gila County Sheriff’s Office is evacuating the communities of Punkin Center and Tonto Basin.

Danger in these areas is imminent and life threatening. Residents should evacuate immediately to a shelter or with family/friends outside of the affected area. Residents should avoid close contact with those who are sick and should practice public health recommendations when relocating. If you choose to ignore this advisement, you must understand emergency services may not be able to assist you further. Follow instructions from emergency personnel, stay on designated evacuation routes and avoid closed areas

With significant wind predicted tomorrow afternoon into the evening, the chance of crews gaining much additional containment tomorrow seems low, but fire progression on the south and west flanks today was kept under control. Firefighter crews appear to be using 87 as the west fire break. The fire largely grew north and east today, and is projected to make progress that way tomorrow, having already crested the four peaks wilderness ridgeline in areas around Pine Mountain. I suspect it will eat the four peaks themselves tomorrow.

Now 65,000 acres.

If they can hold a line at the 188 even with high winds, it might just be allowed to burn the entire interior "triangle" bordered by the 87 / 188 / and the Salt River.

There's not much private property to protect in that area (which is apparently the only thing anybody cares about anymore). Private property along the 188 is probably being back-burned now. Amethyst mine. The comm towers on El Oso Road. Mt. Ord summit facilities. Ballentine Cabin. A few pockets of private property on Ord. Anything else?

It actually may be interesting to inspect some of these areas after they burn and open up. With no intention of stirring a pot, the lower desert areas along SR 87 may be interesting to see. Last time I was up there in November(?) I think, the amount of invasive exotic grass was substantial, so seeing what happened and will happen should be an interesting ecological study. No, I'm not some Sonoran Desert hating gratificationist, but facing facts, and especially in situations where I/we can not control what has already happened, and seeing the future is something that I find......wait for it......interesting.

Why, just 2 weeks ago heading up to hike Doyle Peak, I saw more hot fire evidence along I-17, and in the lower desert in areas where invasive exotic grass had invaded. I thought to myself, "I wonder if there will come a time in a decade or two, where Saguaro are relegated to lower bajada adjacent zones only in places in western Arizona, because all of the wetter locations have burned after invasive exotics have spread into them?". Perhaps, perhaps not. We shall see. If yes, then Saguaro is nothing unique, it is merely joining many other species that have long since been extirpated from prime habitat and largely exist only on marginal lands.

@chumley
I don't think that Ballentine and Amethyst will get anything more done, if it hasn't been done already it seems far too dangerous for them to get to those areas.

I would agree, in that I suspect they will treat it like the superstition wilderness, use the highways as fire breaks, and only protect private property.

Jim_H wrote:It actually may be interesting to inspect some of these areas after they burn and open up

In my experience hiking in areas not long after a fire (one within days, one a week and the other a month), by accepting it as a natural process (all were lightning-caused fires) I sought out and was rewarded by a beauty in the death-and-rebirth of the land. Kind of like the beauty I see in the desert when some in my family simply can't see it as a beauty to enjoy.

Oh yes, I experienced some hot-spots as well, the most prominent was sinking a Teva sandal-shod foot into a divot of what turned out to be hot ash got my attention real fast... the result was the filthiest-looking feet I'd ever had after a hike, yet it was a hike I enjoyed immensely.
Also, I feel some of my best photos were taken in the aftermath of a fire.

chumley wrote: ↑Jun 16 2020 8:26 am Anything else?

I hope they don't totally have to depend on 188 and if they do, I hope it works. Even with that, half of Punkin Center and Tonto Basin's Commercial and Residential is on the south side of 188. And ALL of Jakes Corner is south. Yes, we mourn the wild places, but homes and businesses really should try to be saved. And if the Gas Station on 188 goes up, you can bet the fire is going to jump the highway.

@outdoor_lover
I would assume they are back burning these areas today, hence the evacuation order.

Edit: My assumption may be wrong, the satellite maps are not yet showing back burning heat trace, and it appears to me that they are struggling to contain the fire from spreading back west over highway 87.

Edit 2: I am not sure what to assume at this point, other than no back burning. TERRA shows it jumped the highway but AQUA and VIIRS both are showing it is not burning within a quarter mile east of the highway. TERRA is an older bird so it may be less accurate.