HikeArizona.COM

Update on the Slide Fire in Oak Creek Canyon....
http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/article/3874/21919/
perminate --> http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/3874/

10:00 News reported 500 Acres so far with a Type 1 Team arriving in the Morning...30 MPH Winds expected tomorrow with 0% Containment to this Point. Human Caused.... I was up in this area over the Weekend and it is tinder box dry up there!

Badger Fire near Sunset Point is 50% Contained at 200 Acres...Also Human Caused...
http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/3875/

I was just up in Oak Creek, and to be honest, I don't think the Slide fire was overly devastating (and this comes from someone who HATES wildfires). Just north of Slide Rock on the west side of the creek there is some pretty good burn, but it did not total destroy everything. It looks like there was a lot of low-flame activity, leaving much of the tree tops alone. Whether or not those Ponderosas (sp?) will survive or not is still to be seen. I really wanted to sneak down to take pictures of Slide Rock with NO people, but wasn't wiling to risk the consequences...

Much of the burned area is inaccessible for the most part anyways. Granted the AB Young trail got torched, and there's some significant burn on top of the rim, but it's not the first fire in the area, and won't be the last. While I couldn't venture up West Fork, it doesn't look bad from the parking area.

I expected much worse, so I'm pleasantly relieved... This is just north of the origin point:

Unfortunately some of the most beautiful Technical Canyons in the area did not fair so well...This is a Quote taken from AZ-Tech Canyoneering Post from American Canyoneering....

This is information the CAC just received from Sgt. Aaron Dick concerning the Oak Creek area. As most of you are aware the Slide Fire in Oak Creek, AZ has burned in and around West Fork of Oak Creek. The entire West Fork of Oak Creek area is closed. That includes several canyoneering canyons. I flew over the area as part of our post fire flooding planning and was able to see that the slopes above Insomnia and Illusions were burned. The canyon bottom may seem untouched now but the area is still very hazardous. The potential natural anchors above the canyons have been compromised which may make rescue very difficult of not impossible. The site above the big rappel in insomnia where the rescuers conducted the rescue in 2011 is no longer a rescue option.
While we know that many will want to see how the fire affected the area we urge you to obey the closure and not enter the area. We are expecting some significant flooding and rock/landslide activity in Oak Creek and West Fork of Oak Creek. The safety of rescuers will be carefully considered before deploying to incidents in the area.
Thanks for your understanding and cooperation.
Sgt. Aaron Dick
Search and Rescue Coordinator
Coconino County Sheriff's Office

NEWS RELEASE
U.S. Dept. of Agriculture
U.S. Forest Service
Coconino National Forest
http://www.fs.fed.us/r3/coconino
http://www.twitter.com/CoconinoNF
http://www.flickr.com/photos/coconinonationalforest

For Immediate Release
July 1, 2014

Public Affairs Contacts:
Brady Smith, 928-527-3490

National Forest land in Oak Creek Canyon to close

Sedona, Ariz. – The Coconino National Forest has expanded the Slide Fire emergency closure area to include all National Forest land within Oak Creek Canyon beginning Thursday (July 3).

The closure is being implemented for public safety due to the risks associated with flooding from monsoon, debris flow and the limited ability to quickly inform and evacuate people along Oak Creek if a flood event were to occur.

The closure boundary expansion will include all National Forest land within Oak Creek Canyon from the northern switchbacks to an area near the southern Huckaby trailhead at Schnebly Hill Road. All developed recreation sites and vehicle pullouts along State Route 89A will be closed. To view the official Closure Order and a map of the entire closure area, visit http://tinyurl.com/nmwp8co.

The closure only affects National Forest land, roads, and trails within the closure area on the Coconino National Forest. The closure does not affect any private, state, county, or other non-National Forest lands or roads within the closure boundary.

Additionally, the public water Sterling Springs standpipe in Oak Creek Canyon has been shut off to protect the water system from potential contamination, silt and debris during flooding.

The following information sources have been established for the public to obtain information about the status of Oak Creek Canyon and preparing for possible monsoon flooding in the canyon:

• Oak Creek Canyon Information Hotline: 928-203-7505
• Coconino County’s Slide Fire Area Monsoon Flood Preparation web page: http://www.coconino.az.gov/slidefloodinformation.

For visitors looking who had plans to visit Oak Creek Canyon during this time of the year, alternatives to recreating at Oak Creek Canyon can be found online at http://tinyurl.com/n2lfxto.

Yeah, I know they were hoping to keep it open for the July 4th Weekend, but with the Threat of Weather at the end of the Week, they must have decided it was too risky.....

It has been raining off and on in Williams for the past couple of hours or so. Williams Airport is reporting the precip. I would have assumed the same for Flagstaff, but they are not reporting any actual measured rain.