HikeArizona.COM

Basic Information
Incident Type Wildfire
Cause Under investigation
Date of Origin Sunday August 30th, 2009 approx 01:50 PM
Location 13 miles NE Payson
Incident Commander Tony Sciacca

Current Situation
Total Personnel 192
Size 500 acres
Percent Contained 10%
Fuels Involved Ponderosa pine, manzanita, oak brush

Significant Events There will be a public meeting this evening (Mon. Aug. 31) at 6:30 p.m. at the Payson High School old gymnasium to update the residents on the fire.


Outlook
Planned Actions Resources: 5 crews, 15 engines, 1 water tender Available air support: 3 helicopters, 2 air tankers

Terrain Difficulty Steep, rugged

Remarks At 10:00 p.m. on August 30, 2009, the Arizona Central West Zone Incident Management Team, Tony Sciacca, Incident Commander, assumed management of the Water Wheel Fire on the Payson Ranger District of the Tonto National Forest. There will be a public meeting this evening (Mon. Aug. 31) at 6:30 p.m. at the Payson High School old gymnasium to update the residents on the fire. Both Beaver Valley and Whispering Pines subdivisions continue to be evacuated. Road closures in the area include: FR 199 and FR 198, FR 199 and the road to Freedom Acres (FR 1357), FR 64 and FR 199 at Whispering Pines, FR 64 and FR 1190, FR 64 and FR 198, and FR 64 and FR 233. Public information: Payson Ranger District: 928-474-7900.

Unit Information
Tonto National Forest
U.S. Forest Service
2324 East McDowell Road
Phoenix, AZ 85006
Incident Contact
Information Officer

771 acres and just smoldering due to rain on the fire, fire came within 1/4 mile of Beaver Valley and Whispering Pines

450 firefighters on scene, per friend with local FD in the area of the fire, if it rains again today/tonight which its supposed to do, lots of resources going to be released.

chumley wrote:As Elizabeth implied, fires will burn homes in Wildland/Urban Interface areas every year. Its just a matter of when. And when one of those fires burns with a view of the smoke from the roof of NBC's Burbank studios it is somehow more "newsworthy".

Nighthiker wrote:We sent a crew to the Station Fire in Cal, and two crews to the Waterwheel fire.

Dschur wrote:There is more on that mountain than just television towers it has all the communication towers for the southern part of CA including police, fire and other as well as one of the most important historic observatories in the world the Mt. Wilson Observatory. It is the birthplace of modern astronomy.

More residents near Payson fire going back home
by Kathleen Gormley - Sept. 1, 2009 12:44 PM
The Arizona Republic

A wildfire near Payson did not grow substantially overnight and authorities plan to lift an evacuation order for a subdivision by 5 p.m. Tuesday.

About 500 homes had been evacuated because of The Water Wheel Fire, in the Tonto National Forest, which has grown to 773 acres.

It was 20 percent contained Tuesday, fire officials said.

Residents of Whispering Pines subdivision are expected to be able to return to their homes later Tuesday. Evacuation orders have been lifted for Beaver Valley, Geronimo Estates, Rim Trail, Verde Glen, Cowan Ranch, Washington Park and Knoell Ranch.

The Houston Mesa Road, between Beaver Valley and Whispering Pines, will remain closed because of hazardous debris.

There are no reported injuries or structures lost, but some guard rails, power lines, and telephone lines are down, said Lori Cook, a fire information officer with the Central Arizona Incident Management Team.

Rain and calm winds have helped the more than 200 firefighters battling the blaze. A small amount of rain fell Monday night on the west side of the fire, and there is a 30 to 40 percent chance for thunderstorms Tuesday and Wednesday in the area. Winds were expected to remain calm.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Red Cross officials said that 67 people are registered at the center in Payson High School, but no one spent the night Monday on cots.

The center is preparing to transition to a shelter and care center when the evacuation order is lifted. Residents will be able to gather there for information and food, but no cots will be available.

Date: September 1, 2009
TONTO NATIONAL FOREST CLOSES FOUR CAMPGROUNDS WHILE FIGHTING WATER WHEEL FIRE
For Immediate Release Contact: Payson Ranger District
September 1, 2009 928-474-7900

Closures in effect on Payson Ranger District:
Public and firefighter safety on Water Wheel Fire

Payson, Ariz. (September 1, 2009) – Tonto National Forest officials announced today that certain key roads and several recreation sites in the vicinity of the Water Wheel Fire are closed in order to provide for public and firefighter safety during fire suppression activities associated with the fire. Incident management team firefighting specialists have verified that the Water Wheel fire is now at 20 percent containment.

The closure area includes all National Forest System lands, roads and trails within the Little Diamond Rim area. These boundaries are:
Forest Road (FR) 64 on the north
FR 1170 on the west
FR 1171 on the south to the East Verde River, then directly east along the north boundary of Freedom Acres subdivision (junction of Township 111/2 North, Range 10 East, Section 3 and Section 2)
FR 199 on the east, including forest lands east of FR 199 as described:

The closure area east of FR 199 is marked by Beaver Valley Estates on the southern boundary to the Whispering Pines subdivision on the northern boundary, with the closure area including the following recreation sites: Water Wheel, First Crossing, Second Crossing, Third Crossing, and Cold Spring recreation sites.

“These closures are needed to protect forest users, visitors, firefighters, structures and natural resources until firefighters are able to contain this fire,” said Tonto National Forest Deputy Fire Staff Officer Helen Graham. “Other areas of the Tonto National Forest remain open for recreation activity, including campsites and recreation sites throughout the forest and all the Salt River system lakes.”

“With the ongoing drought we are experiencing in our forest and the high number of visitors we expect during this major holiday weekend coming up, we continue to emphasize practicing extreme caution in all fire practices, such as making campfires. Make sure that campfires are absolutely out before departing your area.”

“Dead out,” emphasized Graham.

For further information regarding recreation sites and fire restrictions, please contact the Payson Ranger District at (928) 474-7900, or check online at www.fs.fed.us/r3/tonto.