We were hoping to not have to post another update today but conditions warrant it. The fire activity has kicked back up. We are not certain why it picked back up but based on normal fire behavior, it could have been as simple as the temperature (with the sunlight) went up as it usually does around mid-afternoon and overcame the moisture levels.

As you can see from the pictures, the smoke is nowhere near what it was 48 hours ago, it is mostly white which implies (but does not ensure) that lighter fuels are burning. White smoke is better than the darker smoke we saw on Tuesday.

While we were there we saw three smaller planes fly over the fire so the air attack is still underway, a heavy tanker also flew over shortly before we arrived. We were lucky enough to face to face with one of the Prescott NF Engines. The fire is still 1-1.5 miles from FS Road 52 is where they’ve done the most line fortification. They believe that what is burning now will lay back down tonight (normal fire behavior).

As of this morning, the Cellar Fire was the highest priority in the region which means plenty of resources (including ongoing air attack) at our disposal.

Roger Nusbaum
Fire Chief

https://walkerfire.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Cellar_3.png
https://walkerfire.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Cellar_4.png
https://walkerfire.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Cellar_5.png
https://walkerfire.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Cellar_6.png