Black Mountain Complex chars nearly 13.000 acres in Western Arizona

PHOTO COURTESY BILL DEKKER Summit Fire District firefighters battle the Secret Fire (and quite a dragon) burning in the Mount Nutt Wilderness area.

Arizona's fire season got off to an early start with the aptly named February Fire, which burned more than 4,000 acres in the Tonto National Forest that month. However, the state got a break as fire activity relented for a few months, says Wendell Peacock, the public information officer for the Forestry Branch of the Western Regional Office of the Bureau of Indian Affairs. That was until June, when a series of fires ignited across the state, sending firefighting crews into high gear. One significant group of fires, the Black Mountain Complex, ultimately burned 12,637 acres near Kingman in western Arizona.

Lightning Strikes
Between June 6 and June 8, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and cooperating fire personnel responded to 21 fires between Kingman and Bullhead City. Many of the fires were ignited by lightning strikes and then pushed by hot, gusty winds.

By June 9, fire personnel decided they needed help, and called in a Type II IMT to help fight the Black Mountain Complex, now composed of four fires: the 100-acre Nutt Fire and the 400-acre Secret Fire, both burning in the Mount Nutt Wilderness area; and the 300-acre Air Ranch Fire and the 500-acre Union Fire, both burning north of Union Pass and Highway 68. The complex threatened homes, archeological sites, communications towers and the habitats of big horn sheep and desert tortoise.

On the morning of June 9, the Arizona Central West Zone (AZ-CWZ) IMT, led by Incident Commander Tony Sciacca, assumed command of the complex, which had grown to 8,599 acres overnight. Specifically, the Secret Fire had grown to 1,450 acres, the Nutt Fire was now 149 acres, and the Union Fire and Air Ranch Fire together burned 7,000 acres.

According to a BLM news release, firefighters attempted to push the Union Fire toward a 2005 burn area (the Twin Mills Fire), while aircraft and other crews worked the eastern flank to prevent flames from circling the old burn. In the meantime, the smaller Air Ranch Fire slowed after burning into the 2005 burn area, and ultimately combined with the Union Fire.

As for the Secret and Nutt fires, Peacock says they burned in rough terrain that was inaccessible by vehicle and "hellishly steep." Personnel had to hike in or be airlifted in to their assignments. Peacock adds, "Take the strong winds and mix in the fact that this is traditional mining country where there are lots of holes in the ground, and it was amazing there weren't more serious injuries." There were only a few reports of slightly twisted ankles and dehydration, he says.

Overnight Blowout
During the early morning hours of June 10, the winds shifted, causing the Secret Fire to reverse its primary direction and jump containment lines. Firefighters working through the night assisted members of the Golden Valley Fire Department on the scene to contain the 2,500-acre blowout. An additional crew of Hotshots from Boise and six engines from the initial-attack group responded at approximately 0400 hrs.

The now easterly moving fire came within a quarter-mile of homes on Ganado Road at the western boundary of Kingman's Golden Valley subdivision. At the direction of Mohave County authorities, six homes were evacuated as a precautionary measure.

Firefighters conducted a successful 3-mile-long backfire operation to cut off the fire's advance toward nearby homes. Bill Dekker, the group supervisor for the AZ-CWZ IMT, says some of the resources working the backfire operation included Type III engines from the Summit Fire District, the Highlands Fire District, the Chino Valley Fire District, the Central Yavapai Fire District and the Nesbitt Fire Department, as well as two Type IV engines from the Bullhead City Fire Department.

According to Bee Day, night operations chief with the AZ-CWZ IMT, the blowout was lined at 0500 hrs. The Secret Fire was now 4,068 acres and 20 percent contained. Firefighters continued to monitor the containment line throughout the day.

Fire crews made significant progress containing all three fires throughout the afternoon of June 10. The total acres burned now reached 11,222 acres, but the Union Fire was 75 percent contained and the Nutt Fire was 95 percent contained. According to an AZ-CWZ IMT news release, there were now 17 crews, 20 engines and five water tankers, as well as two helicopters, one air-attack unit, six single-engine airtankers and five heavy airtankers, working the complex.

PHOTO COURTESY BILL DEKKER Highland Fire District engine crewmembers conduct a backfire operation on the Secret Fire.

Under Control
Fire behavior significantly dropped over the next 48 hours. By 2100 hrs on June 12, the Nutt Fire was 100 percent contained, the 4,108-acre Secret Fire was 95 percent contained, and the 8,380-acre Union Fire was 100 percent contained. With minimal fire activity observed, crews continued to demobilize and return to their home units or respond to other incidents. At this time, there were only three helicopters and 16 fire engines being used on the complex. All airtankers had been released.

On June 13, the AZ-CWZ IMT returned management of the fire to the BLM, and firefighters from the Kingman Field Office monitored the fire. Personnel and equipment from the Kingman, Mayer, Hualapai Valley, Golden Valley, Tri-City, Chino Valley, Flagstaff, Canyon and Sedona fire departments continued to support the incident.

The BLM called the Black Mountain Complex 100 percent contained on June 14. At the height of operations, approximately 450 fire personnel worked the fire. According to reports, the fire cost approximately $1.6 million to fight. No structures burned.

Peacock says many factors contribute to Arizona's current fire danger: "There are a lot of fuels on the ground; it's plenty dry; we've got ongoing drought conditions as well as massive [tree] mortality rates from bark beetles that attack weakened forests." He adds, however, that the state has been working hard to spread fire danger messages. "We've been doing interviews about fire danger all year long. I cannot believe how well we've done with the lack of serious injury and the loss of structures. People are clearly starting to listen."