Horseshoe Fire
Location: 5 mi. S of Portal, Cochise Co. NM
Specific Location: SF Cave Ck., Coronado NF, Lat 31° 49´ 4″, Lon 109° 12´ 9″
Date of Origin: 05/26/2010
Cause: Human
Situation as of 06/29/2010 7:00 pm
Personnel: 14
Size: 3,401 acres
Percent Contained: 95%
Costs to Date: $9,879,000 (no update)
Heavy thunderstorm activity and significant rainfall over the fire area.
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Situation as of 06/28/2010 6:00 pm
Personnel: 14
Size: 3,401 acres
Percent Contained: 85%
Costs to Date: $9,879,000
Opening South Fork road to public and all campgrounds. Transitioning to Type 3 IC.
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Situation as of 06/27/2010 6:00 pm
Personnel: 71
Size: 3,386 acres
Percent Contained: 85%
Costs to Date: $9,814,145
Transition to local Type 3 team will occur at noon on 28 June 2010. No fire activity was observed today.
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Situation as of 06/26/2010 5:00 pm
Personnel: 131
Size: 3,386 acres
Percent Contained: 85%
Costs to Date: $9,677,184
Completed shaded fuel break in Cave Creek.
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Situation as of 06/25/2010 5:00 pm
Personnel: 148
Size: 3,386 acres
Percent Contained: 75%
Costs to Date: $9,580,340
50% completion of shaded fuel breaks at pinch points in the S. Fork of Cave Creek drainage; continued rehab on indirect lines.
Precipitation occurred over the fire area last night. The Horseshoe Incident is accruing around $110,000/day in costs. Downward adjustment is due to correction of historical costs.
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Situation as of 06/24/2010 6:00 pm
Personnel: 131
Size: 3,386 acres
Percent Contained: 50%
Costs to Date: $9,500,891
Reduction in acreage due to more accurate mapping (-15 acres).
Development of afternoon thunderstorms led to moving line resources to lower, more protected areas of the fire, where they were more readily available for initial attack.
Minimal fire behavior with limited number of active smokes observed within the northeast lobe of the fire perimeter.
Crews will construct shaded fuel breaks at pinch points in the S. Fork of Cave Creek drainage.
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Situation as of 06/23/2010 5:00 pm
Personnel: 124
Size: 3,401 acres
Percent Contained: 25%
Costs to Date: $9,264,584
Transition to Cook’s Northern Rockies Wildland Fire Management Team occurred at 0600 6/23/2010.
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Situation as of 06/21/2010 5:00 pm
Personnel: 131
Size: 3,400 acres
Percent Contained: 25%
Costs to Date: $9,001,524
Bucket work on the northeast portion of the fire was done in efforts to slow fire progression down towards the south fork of Cave Creek. Possible direct line construction above the south fork of Cave Creek tomorrow.
The Northern Rockies Wildfire Management Team will be beginning transitioning with the Northern Rockies/Southwest Wildfire Management Team tomorrow. Transfer of command is expected to occur 06/23/2010 at 0600.
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Situation as of 06/20/2010 4:45 pm
Personnel: 131
Size: 3,250 acres
Percent Contained: 25%
Costs to Date: $8,964,915 (no update)
Construction of check line will begin in one of the side drainages of the South Fork of Cave Creek. These efforts are in preparation for possible burn out operations should the fire continue to back towards the bottom of the South Fork of Cave Creek.
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Situation as of 06/18/2010 5:30 pm
Personnel: 141
Size: 3,000 acres
Percent Contained: 25%
Costs to Date: $8,964,915
Mop up efforts and hazardous fuels mitigation work along the South Fork of Cave Creek will continue tomorrow. Continue to provide IA capabilities within the fire perimeter. Water bar construction on existing control lines will continue.
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Situation as of 06/17/2010 5:00 pm
Personnel: 141
Size: 2,960 acres
Percent Contained: 25%
Costs to Date: $8,838,391
Mop up efforts continued in the South Fork of Cave Creek drainage. Fuels mitigation work continued along FSR 42.
A public meeting will be held tonight at 1900 in Portal, AZ. An updated Course of Action was published today.
Due to the remoteness of the fire area, communications would be severely limited without the “Cell on Wheels” located near the fire area. This “Cell on Wheels” has been deemed a critical need for this fire. Conversations with Verizon have indicated that this “Cell on Wheels” maybe moved to a higher priority fire.
Note: It is unclear what this fire report is referring to when it says the “updated Course of Action” has been published.” No Course of Action of any kind is available on the Coronado NF website.
The Horseshoe Fire is a Let It Burn fire, despite being human-caused. It is mostly within designated wilderness, and no efforts are being made to contain it. The containment percentage has remained at 25% since June 4th.
To date nearly $9 million have been spent burning 3,000 acres. That’s $3,000 per acre, an incredible amount and a huge waste of taxpayer dollars. If prescribed fire was used in the proper season, burning should cost less than $1,000 per acre. But because it is fire season in the Southwest, prescribed fire now is too risky. Furthermore, prescribed fire is not allowed in wilderness areas!
What we have here is an unprescribed prescribed fire in the wrong season which poses an unreasonable risk, is illegally being applied to a wilderness area, and costs 3 times (or more) what a normal maintenance prescribed burn would cost.
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Situation as of 06/16/2010 5:30 pm
Personnel: 146
Size: 2,862 acres
Percent Contained: 25%
Costs to Date: $8,647,300
Public meeting scheduled for tonight has been rescheduled for 17 June at 1900 in Portal, AZ. An updated Course of Action has been completed, and we are expecting to publish a new decision tomorrow.
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Situation as of 06/15/2010 5:00 pm
Personnel: 136
Size: 2,740 acres
Percent Contained: 25%
Costs to Date: $8,365,409
Mission along northeast flank completed, securing the fire perimeter to mitigate the long-term risk of fire moving northeast during the remainder of the season.
Public meeting to be held 16 June at 1900 in Portal, AZ.
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Situation as of 06/14/2010 5:00 pm
Personnel: 133
Size: 2,720 acres
Percent Contained: 25%
Costs to Date: $8,100,000
Acreage change due to more accurate mapping. Mop up efforts continued in the South Fork of Cave Creek drainage. Fuels mitigation work continued along FSR42. Structure protection efforts are being reassessed. Long term risk assessment and updated course of action presented to Agency Administrator.
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Situation as of 06/13/2010 4:00 pm
Personnel: 143
Size: 2,950 acres
Percent Contained: 25%
Costs to Date: $7,959,424
Mop up efforts where implemented in the bottom of the South Fork of Cave Creek canyon. Fuels mitigation work resumed along FSR 42. Structure protection efforts are being reassessed. Continued initial attack capabilities within the fire area. The team will meet with the agency administrator tomorrow to validate and update the course of action.
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Situation as of 06/11/2010 5:00 pm
Personnel: 191
Size: 2,850 acres
Percent Contained: 25%
Costs to Date: $7,708,110
The expected containment date has been extended to 10 July 2010, and the estimated final costs are expected to increase due to the presence of steep, rugged terrain which precludes the use of direct suppression efforts and requires continual fire management oversight and point protection readiness.
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Situation as of 06/10/2010 4:30 pm
Personnel: 166
Size: 2,600 acres
Percent Contained: 25%
Costs to Date: $7,532,907
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Situation as of 06/09/2010 4:30 pm
Personnel: 225
Size: 2,470 acres
Percent Contained: 25%
Costs to Date: $7,346,633
Overhead Team Name: Hughes Organization: Type 1 Team
Planned Actions: 1.) Continue to monitor the fires movement towards the Management Action Points as defined in the Horseshoe Fire Strategic Operating Plan. 2.) Continue evaluate and prep structures to the north in Cave Creek Canyon and Portal town site. 3.) Continue to release resources not required operations anticipated in the “Course of Action Plan”. 4.) Continue fire suppression on South Fork of Cave Creek on the NW active fire perimeter. 5.) Transition to R1/R3 Wildfire Management Team at 0600 on 6/9/2010.
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Situation as of 06/07/2010 4:40 pm
Personnel: 245
Size: 2,375 acres
Percent Contained: 25%
Costs to Date: $6,969,030
Team transition ordered for 6/9/2010
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Situation as of 06/05/2010 4:30 pm
Personnel: 390
Size: 2,200 acres
Percent Contained: 25%
Costs to Date: $6,116,944
More burnouts planned.
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Situation as of 06/04/2010 4:30 pm
Personnel: 444
Size: 2,200 acres
Percent Contained: 25%
Costs to Date: $5,603,662
Efforts to keep the fire from crossing South Fork Cave Creek on the NW active fire perimeter were successful.
Observed Fire Behavior: In area of Owl Pack aerial ignition, successful low intensity downslope backing fire through FM2 and FM5 with some brush torching in FM5. Other fire locations, backing fire with isolated torching in brush pockets, and one rapid uphill run to ridge top in FM5 in the NE area of active fire perimeter Thursday evening.
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Situation as of 06/03/2010 4:20 pm
Personnel: 470
Size: 1,850 acres
Percent Contained: 0%
Costs to Date: $5,104,234
The aerial ignition planned for late Wednesday afternoon on the NE flank to reduce fire intensity for “Owl Pack” protection was executed and monitored. Another aerial ignition was initiated at 1530 today for protection of the same “Owl Pack” area.
The indirect strategy, as outlined in the “Horseshoe Fire Strategic Operation Plan”, continues because of extremely steep and rugged terrain limiting safe and practical direct line construction. Within the control perimeter, are scattered residences and structures that require collaboration and coordination with the local fire district.
Continue to monitor the fires movement towards the Management Action Points as defined in the Horseshoe Fire Strategic Operating Plan. Continue triage and structural protection activities for residences to the north in Cave Creek Canyon and Portal town site.
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Situation as of 06/02/2010 10:00 am
Personnel: 787
Size: 1,800 acres
Percent Contained: 0%
Costs to Date: $3,537,119
Ground crews are nearing completion of the 30 mile indirect perimeter. Strategy chosen requires the necessary resources to implement the 30 miles of indirect control perimeter. Within the control perimeter are scattered residences and structures that require collaboration and coordination with the local fire district. Course of Action Plan completed and approved yesterday continues to be evaluated by the team and the host agency. Firing and aerial ignition plans were completed.
