Prescribed burn on Mt. Lemmon sends plume of smoke over mountains
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Coronado National ForestSmoky conditions from a prescribed burn in the Santa Catalina Ranger District. -
Coronado National Forest -
Coronado National Forest
A plume of white and gray smoke was rising from the Santa Catalina Mountains north of Tucson on Tuesday, the result of planned burns by the Coronado National Forest.
About 92 acres were planned to be burned to reduce the potential for future large fires, officials said. The prescribed burns will last through Thursday.
"The plan is to start with the Inspiration Rock unit and move to the South Highway unit as weather conditions allow," officials said.
Prescribed burns such as these are used when "heavy fuel loads need to be reduced and fire reintroduced as a natural process to restore the ecological balance. Broadcast burns not only meet the objectives of a pile burn, but they also serve to reduce the risk of catastrophic fires that threaten human safety and property," they said.
All trails will remain open, but trailheads may be inaccessible due to the presence of fire personnel and vehicles during the burn operations, National Forest officials said.
"Please be aware when traveling on Mount Lemmon Highway as smoke and additional traffic could be possible in the area," they said.
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