Fire crews monitoring several small fires north of Paulden

Several small fires in remote locations north of Paulden have been responded to or are closely being monitored by fire crews as of Friday afternoon, June 18, according to Debbie Maneely of the Prescott National Forest.

The first one is the Rock Butte Fire, which is estimated to be 20 to 30 acres and is about 4.5 miles west of Drake and Highway 89. As of 3 p.m. Friday, Maneely said resources, including a hotshot crews, an engine and a tanker have been working to suppress the flames.

Just south of the Rock Butte Fire is the Silent Fire, which is just a couple acres in size and will be monitored by crews for the time being.

Lastly, the Red Hat Fire is reported to be about 15 to 20 acres and located more northeast than the other two fires, somewhere off Forest Service Road 174. Maneely said the fire is in “monitor status” and is in a remote location with “no values of risk.”

Total response includes resources from the Prescott National Forest and Lakeview Hotshots.

Maneely said these small fires are fairly normal to come across after a storm has passed through the area, which one did on Thursday evening, June 17.

“This is normal after the storms have come through and we get a bunch of lightning, a lot of times we won’t see the smoke until the next day when things start to heat up and the suns comes out, starts baking those fuels, and then it’ll start smoldering and then we’ll get a little bit of smoke and some light activity,” she said.

She added that sometimes lightning will strike a single tree and catch it on fire, which is called what she refers to as a “snag.” However, the storm’s rain will usually put out the fire and crews will just monitor the activity by ground and by air.

Watch the Courier and dCourier.com for details and updates.

Follow Aaron Valdez on Twitter at @Valaaron_94. Email avaldez@prescottaz.com or call 928-445-3333, ext. 2031.