Controlled burn planned at Springerville Airport to reduce wildfire risk
Smoke and fire activity at Springerville Airport was part of a controlled burn meant to cut wildfire risk before July Fourth and the driest stretch of the season.
Round Valley Fire & Medical used a controlled burn at Springerville Airport to lower wildfire danger around one of Apache County’s key public facilities before the July Fourth fireworks show, a move that came as fire restrictions tightened across the White Mountains.
The burn began Thursday, May 21, 2026 at 6:00 p.m. and the notice ran through Sunday, May 24, 2026. Officials said the work was meant to reduce future wildfire risk around the airport and improve safety ahead of the holiday, when sparks, crowds and dry grass can create a fast-moving problem near airport property and nearby open land.
Residents were warned to expect smoke and fire activity in the area while multiple crews stayed on scene. That mattered in Springerville, where the airport sits about one mile west-southwest of the town’s central business district and serves as more than a small local strip. Springerville Municipal Airport, FAA identifier JTC, has a primary runway listed at 8,422 feet by 75 feet, an elevation of about 7,055 feet, and more than 550 acres of developable land for aviation and light industrial use. The town says the terminal was completed in spring 2013.
The burn also landed in the middle of a broad regional fire response. Stage 1 fire restrictions took effect in the Towns of Eagar and Springerville at 6:00 a.m. on May 19, 2026, prohibiting open burning, campfires, fireworks and certain smoking activities because of extremely dry conditions. The White Mountain Fire Coordinating Group recommended Stage 1 restrictions for unincorporated Apache and Navajo counties after a May 12 review of forest conditions and weather patterns. The Bureau of Land Management also imposed Stage 1 restrictions on BLM-managed lands in Apache and Navajo counties, and the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management said state trust lands in Apache County were under Stage 1 restrictions as well.
Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests said the restrictions were in place because of high or extreme fire danger and very limited escape routes in the area. That is the larger warning behind the airport burn: when fuels dry out this quickly, local agencies have to clear them early, before wind, heat and holiday activity make prevention far harder.
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