Smoky day just a "big show"; Willow Fire grows to 65,000 acres

By Jim Keyworth, Roundup staff reporter

Saturday, July 3, 2004

Richard Haddad/Roundup An S-61 helicopter lifts off from the Payson Airport to begin dropping water on hot spots of the Willow Fire, now at 65,000 acres.

Payson was inundated with smoke and ash Friday afternoon, but firefighters were generally pleased with their progress battling the Willow Fire southwest of town.

While the fire increased in size to 65,000 acres, containment grew from 5 percent to 8 percent, and the communities of Payson, Pine and Strawberry are in no imminent danger.

"I know there's a lot of people concerned about the increase in smoke today, and it is laying over town, but all this smoke really hasn't hurt us too much," Operations Sections Chief Buck Wickham said at the 8 p.m. media briefing on Friday. "The fire has increased in size and we've lost more of the wilderness, but as far as it impacting a community, it doesn't constitute a significant threat at this time. So it's a big show, but not much threat to Payson or any of the other communities

Much of the smoke Friday afternoon came from the southeast corner of the fire.

"The fire was getting set up in there to make a big run out of the Y Bar Basin ... so we got in there with helicopters and ignited those ridges to try and minimize the heat of the fire and it did back down off the ridge," Wickham said.

Meanwhile, the burnout continued on the northeast side of the fire on Friday, although progress was limited by dry conditions.

"The fuel moisture is 1, and yesterday at the Payson Ranger Station, the relative humidity was 1," Wickham said. "The probability of a hot ember landing across the line and igniting and starting a spot fire was 100 percent."

While there is some concern the southeastern portion of the fire could outflank the southern end of the fire line and turn north toward Payson, Wickham minimized that danger.

"It's not out of the question, but it's not a probable thing," he said.

There are currently 951 firefighters and support personnel working the fire, which has so far cost $3,199,000.