Globe — As of press time on Monday afternoon, the Pinal Fire had grown to 6,815 acres, but was 45 percent contained. The lightning-caused fire began on May 8 in the Pinal Mountains, six miles south of Globe. More than 640 personnel are battling the fire.

On Thursday afternoon, a pre-evacuation notice was issued for residents living in Icehouse and Kellner canyons, south of the Icehouse/Kellner junction. Deputies from the Gila County Sheriff’s Office went door-to-door in the area, letting residents know to be ready to evacuate. As of press time, no evacuation orders had been issued.

Tonto National Forest issued the following update on Monday morning. “Firefighters made progress towards reaching planned objectives on Sunday night. Crews conducted burning operations on the northeast are of the fire, along the Pioneer Pass Road (FR 112), and south of the Icehouse Civilian Conservation Corp (CCC) recreation site to capitalize on higher nighttime humidity, lower winds, and cooler temperatures.

“On Monday, firefighters planned to use ground and aerial ignition to secure the fire on the north by strategically bringing the main body of the fire to Forest Road 651.  “These efforts are necessary to protect homes and other values at risk in Kellner, Icehouse, and Six Shooter canyons. Firefighters will take advantage of the best windows of opportunity to safely bring fire through the brush and chaparral in this area. They will be doing what they can to leave strategic buffers of vegetation in drainages where they can do so safely and effectively to help minimize post-fire effects in the future.

“Fire crews are beginning fire suppression repair on the west, south, and east sides of the fire to repair damages and minimize potential soil erosion and impacts from fire suppression activities.

Mop up continues in these areas as well. “Area and road closures and fire restrictions remain in effect. The Tonto National Forest Pinal Fire Closure and Fire Restrictions information are available on the Tonto National Forest webpage.

“Wildfires are a No Drone Zone. If you fly, we can’t. Every time a drone is spotted anywhere within the Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) area, all aircraft must land until we can be sure the drone is clear of this area. Visit the National Interagency Fire Center webpage for more information.

“Firefighters are working to keep the fire within the system of roads that surround it and protect values at risk. These values include watersheds, communication towers, private and recreational residences, pipelines, range improvements, powerlines, Mexican spotted owl habitat, and air quality.” For up to date information, call 928-487-0676 (8 a.m. to 8 p.m.) or visit https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5176/.