Picture Incident
Tonto National Forest
June 2003

For Immediate Release
June 21, 2003 8 am

Firefighters continued to make progress on the Picture Fire on the Tonto National Forest Sunday. Line construction efforts are now concentrated on the north and east sides of the fire with containment estimated at 50%. To meet the challenge of limited road access three remote or "spike" camps have been established near the fire perimeter. One spike camp is located on the southwest edge of the fire near Red Rock Spring; one is near Buzzard Roost Mesa; and the third is in the Young community. In addition, crews continue to work through the night - on Sunday night, 7 hotshot crews conducted burnout operations near McBride Tank to improve firelines.

Efforts today will focus on line construction, with approximately 6 miles remaining to be dug. Although fire spread is not expected to be rapid today, fire officials are keeping a wary eye on the weather. A Red Flag Warning has been posted for winds of 25 to 30 mph and humidity in the 6 to 9% range.

As of 5am today, command of the fire was transferred to the Southwest Area Incident Management Team. "The previous team has done an excellent job of managing this fire," remarked incoming Incident Commander Dan Oltregge. "We plan to continue their efforts with a goal of having the Picture Fire contained by end of shift on Thursday."

The Picture Fire is estimated to be 11,244 acres. No structures have been lost and no serious injuries have been reported.

For more information, visit www.fs.fed.us/r3/fire or contact Fire Information at 928-479-3164.

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