Sycamore Fire smoke alert issued for Apache County communities
Smoke from the Sycamore Fire was forecast to reach Springerville, Alpine and Whiteriver, with overnight impacts possible near Roosevelt Lake.
Smoke from the Sycamore Fire was expected to push into Springerville and other Apache County communities, putting Highway 60, Alpine, Whiteriver and the Fort Apache Reservation in the path of drifting haze. The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality said its latest wildfire smoke forecast, updated June 22 and valid until 9 a.m. June 23, pointed to ground-level smoke in parts of eastern Arizona and warned smoke-sensitive groups to take precautions.
The fire itself was estimated at 8,083 acres in the June 22 forecast, up sharply from more than 3,300 acres earlier in the week. Discovered June 15 and later reported as lightning-caused, the blaze was burning in the Tonto National Forest north of Globe in Gila County. ADEQ said smoke had moved northeast the previous day and reached the Arizona-New Mexico border, a sign of how far the plume had already traveled.
For June 22, ADEQ said smoke was expected to move generally east, then east or east-southeast the following day. Overnight, smoke could settle into drainages around the fire and drift toward Roosevelt Lake, with light to moderate impacts possible. The agency said the forecast was based on fine particulates only, not ozone, which matters because smoke can hit respiratory health even when other air-quality measures appear less alarming.
The U.S. Forest Service closed National Forest System lands, roads and trails in the Globe Ranger District on June 17, with the order running through July 17 at 8 p.m. to protect public health and safety during firefighting operations and fire danger. ADEQ said it can deploy air-quality monitoring when local, state or federal agencies request it, and it provides wildfire smoke forecasts and monitoring support to public health officials across Arizona. For Apache County communities watching the smoke column from a distance, the warning was clear: the fire was still centered north of Globe, but the air-quality effects had already reached into eastern Arizona and could linger through the day.
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