Globe — As of Friday morning, the Pinal Fire had grown to 5,692 acres. The fire, which was started by a lightning strike on May 8, is 32 percent contained. There are currently 562 personnel assigned to the fire.

The blaze is burning on the Globe Ranger District of the Tonto National Forest, about six miles south of Globe.  Here is the daily update from Friday, May 26. For information about the fire, visit https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5176/ or call Information 928-487-0676.

Yesterday’s increase in winds led to more single and group tree torching.  An infrared flight overnight showed approximately 700 acres of growth yesterday.  Aircraft continued to be effective in keeping the fire in check on the northern ends.  Hand crews and heavy equipment, including masticators, continued work to keep the fire within the system of roads surrounding it. 

Hand crews and engines will begin working in the Icehouse Rd. and Kellner Canyon Rd areas this morning to begin helping with structural protection preparations as part of contingency planning. Property owners should help with Firewise preparations around their homes as well. Visit http://firewise.org for more information. The incident management team is working to keep the fire within the system of roads that surround it. But it’s important to be prepared as conditions can change rapidly. 

On the northern edge of the fire, air tankers and helicopters will be utilized to drop fire retardant and water to minimize fire activity.  A masticator continues to be used in areas north of the fire to reduce vegetation. 

Today’s weather is expected to be very similar to yesterday’s weather with the biggest difference being an absence of cloud cover.  This along with the southwest winds may contribute to increased fire behavior. 

Aerial resources have had to be grounded during the course of this incident after civilian drones were spotted near the fire.  This directly impacted suppression efforts. If you fly, we can’t. It is illegal to interfere with the efforts of firefighters to extinguish a fire. Every time a drone is spotted anywhere within the Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) area, all aircraft have to land until we can be sure the drone is clear of this area. Visit https://nifc.gov/drones for more information.

 Values at Risk:  Firefighters are working to keep the fire within the system of roads that surround it and protect values at risk including watersheds, communication towers, private & recreational residences, pipelines, range improvements, powerlines, Mexican Spotted Owl Habitat, air quality and public lands. 

Restrictions & Closures:  A Forest Closure Order and Fire Restrictions remain in effect. For more information, visit the Tonto National Forest website at: https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/tonto/alerts-notices.

Fire Information - (928) 487-0676 (8:00 am to 8:00 pm) and

Inciweb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5176/  (Air Quality info, County Emergency Alert sign-up link, Firewise tips)

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/U.S. Forest Service-Tonto National Forest           

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TontoForest/