Wild Rasberry On Mt. Lemmon (07/18/14) — Image by kenne
Those who love spending our summers hiking on Mt. Lemmon are saddened by the continued burning
of the Bighorn Fire in the Santa Catalina Mountains.
As I write this post, the Pima County Sheriff has told residents and businesses
to evacuate the Mt. Lemmon, Summerheaven, and Mt. Bigalow areas.
The Catalina Hwy has been close to non-residents and businesses for several days now.
— kenne
Bighorn Fire (June 13, 2020) –Image by Kelly Presnell / Arizona Daily Star
This view is as seen from Oro Valley on the northside of the Santa Catalina Mountains. The glow over the mountains to the right is Tucson.
As of this morning, active fires in Romero and Cargodera Canyons burned together and continued to push to the north and east. With this spread to the higher elevations comes a transition in fuel type, with the fire moving from grasses and brush up to chaparral. Smoke from these heavier fuels will be very visible today.
Firefighters on Mt. Lemmon are building from the preparatory work done by the community together with the Forest Service, ensuring existing fire breaks are clear, and that defensible space is maintained. Crews and equipment will be working north toward the town of Oracle, scouting for containment features and identifying values at risk.
Fire in Ventana Canyon continued to be active and is expected to slowly back down the canyon where crews are confident the existing fire line will hold. Firefighters are building line extending east from the southern edge of the fire to protect communities, should the fire move in that direction where there is unburned fuel.
The fire has now burned close to 15,000 acres.
Bighorn Fire Air Assault Photos by kenne
Trying to get photos of the Bighorn Fire air assault from my patio in the eastern Catalina Foothills is not an easy trick. I’m licking a good location and the lens needed to do justice to the challenge.
Sharing these two images is meant so I can direct you to some photos taken by my good friend, Ned Harris. Here’s a link to his Flickr account:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/ned_harris/albums/72157714619211453
When it comes to aerial photos, he is among the best. Enjoy!
— kenne
Sunset (June 12th, 2020)
The Bighorn Fire began June 5th in the Pusch Ridge Wilderness. After burning a lot the southwest area of the front ridge,
it has now moved northeast, having burned over 7,000 acres.
Sunrise (June 13th, 2020) — Images by kenne
This morning with little or no wind, evidence of smoke appears to have gone from our viewpoint.
However, looks deceive, since containment remains a 10% and is projected to not be contained before June 25th.
— kenne
Late Wednesday, June 10th. Most of the smoke is from upper Pima Canyon, Finger Rock and Mt. Kimball.
Around 6:00 am Thursday, June 11th. The smoke has settled in over
the Catalina Mountains and beginning to move down into the Tucson basin.
The smell from the fire is very noticeable as I leave for my
morning walk in the neighborhood.
I’m now at the back of Tanuri Ridge as more of the smoke appears
to be leaving the mountains spreading over the Catalina Foothills.
I’m beginning to think I should have warned a facemask.
Now at the entrance of Tanuri Ridge and you can bearly make out
the mountains.
I used a Photoshop Dehaze filter on some of these images so in reality,
there was much more smoke and haze.
Tanuri Drive
As I continued my walk, the parts of the fire appeared to be
backtracking to the west.
There’s very little wind this morning, so a lot of the news smoke
coming from downdrafts through where rain would typically
flow off the mountains.
A big plum of smoke coming from the Finger Rock area.
It is now around 8:00 am.
It is now around 10:30 am. The fire is now about a mile west of
Pima Canyon trailhead. (Because of my distance from the
mountains, I’m making an educated guess.)
The following copy is from Haidi Chewel, with the National Forest Service.
Bighorn Fire – June 11th, 2020 Morning Update
Pima County Sheriff’s Department issues “SET” notice
Acres: 4,769 Percent Containment: 10%
Start Date: June 5th, 2020 Cause: Lightning
Origin Location: Santa Catalina Mountains
Jurisdiction: Coronado National Forest, including portions of the Pusch Ridge Wilderness
Personnel: 391
Resources: 6 hotshot crews, 3 Type 2 hand crews, 7 Type 3 engines, 1 Type 4 engine, 7 Type 6 engines, 4 Type 1 helicopters, 1 Type 2 helicopter, 2 Type 3 helicopter, 10 water tenders
The Bighorn Fire remained active overnight, with flames being pushed downhill by downslope winds. Temperatures up to 106 degrees today and continued low humidity will increase fire activity. The fire will again be highly visible on the front range of the Santa Catalina Mountains. Crews will work to hold the fire perimeter and continue building fire lines, tying into control features such as roads and rock outcroppings. Additional aerial resources will support the crews on the ground with water and retardant drops.
Over the next several days’ communities can expect to see crews and apparatus working in an around subdivisions in the Catalina Foothills. Members of the public are advised to drive with caution and leave roadways clear for emergency vehicles and equipment to pass.
