Arizona Forestry to hold prescribed burn south of Sonoita on Tuesday

Arizona fire officials will ignite a prescribed burn about 50 miles southeast of Tucson this week, as part of a long-term project to reduce the possibility of wildfires in the grasslands surrounding a Southern Arizona ranch.

The planned fire depends on favorable weather, and state officials said they expected to begin the multi-day burn on Tuesday and continuing through Thursday, said Tiffany Davila, a spokeswoman for Arizona's Department of Forestry and Fire Management. 

The burn will involved 2,000 acres and will be "highly visible" to the communities of Sonoita, Elgin, Huachuca City, and Sierra Vista, Davila said. She added that burn managers expect smoke to "settle into the lower elevations throughout the night."

All prescribed burns must have prior approval from the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality, she added. 

The project may be held up if the weather changes, or the number of crews and other resources available to contain the fire are needed to deal with wildfires in the region, Davila said.

The fire will take place near the Babacomari Ranch, as part of a multi-year project that began in 2019 to reduce "hazardous fuels around the ranch," she said. "The primary objective of the project is to provide wildfire protection through strategically placed fire."

"This vegetation management tool helps reduce overloaded fuel to protect adjacent communities, key infrastructure, and other values at risk as the 2023 wildfire season unfolds," she said. "The prescribed burn also helps to reduce cat claw and mesquite brush and provide better forage for cattle and wildlife."

Fire officials said winter and spring rains made conditions favorable for this burn by increasing soil moisture. Over the last few years, the lack of rain meant soil moisture was "inadequate" over the last few years, and was "the main reason as to why the project was temporarily paused."

"Prescribed fire is a multi-year, rotational management tool on the Babacomari Ranch for fire safety and vegetation management," Davila said. "Prescribed burns are beneficial to the ecosystem as they reduce wildfire risk to nearby communities, improve forest health, remove invasive species and pests, help re-establish soil nutrients, and safeguard watersheds."

While manages expect to burn around 2,000 acres, they will target 3,000 acres over the next few years.