Contributed Photo/Courtesy Inciweb: The Pinnacle Fire has grown to 15,801 acres but is primarily burning rocky, inaccessible terrain in the Santa Teresa Wilderness.
By Jon Johnson
SANTA TERESA MOUNTAINS – The Pinnacle Fire continues a steady northward projection but its easterly movement has essentially been stopped.
As of Wednesday morning, the fire was listed at 15,801 acres, with 0% containment. However, Southwest Area Incident Management Team 3 Operations Section Chief Brad Johnson advised that fire lines to the south and east were holding well. Crews previously performed burnouts to limit the fire’s progression to the south toward the Klondyke area.
The fire is moving to the northwest in rocky, steep, and inaccessible terrain in the Santa Teresa Wilderness, so the plan is to monitor its growth that way and assess plans of where they can control it further to the northwest.
Additionally, multiple crews and hotshot crews were performing various tasks to the north in the Black Rock area to protect structures. Residences in the area were previously evacuated Monday.
The east side of the fire (the part most visible from the Gila Valley) looks “really good”, according to Brad Johnson. “The crews are still going to be going on in there, seeking out all the hot spots – we call (it) seek and destroy – and trying to get in there to make sure this line is all secure before we want to call it contained.”
