Pile Burn Project at Picacho Peak State Park Thursday

Picacho, AZ (4/3/2024) – Starting Thursday, April 4, 2024, the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management (DFFM) begins a one-day pile burn operation at Picacho Peak State Park outside of Eloy. Over the past few years, DFFM has been collaborating with Arizona State Parks and Trails to help with their wildfire risk reduction projects at various parks throughout the state. Arizona State Parks and Trails conducts the routine, on-going vegetative maintenance and DFFM provides the qualified resources to burn off the piles. Pile burning provides a more efficient way to reduce leftover fuel from hand or mechanical treatments and helps further safeguard the park and nearby communities.

DFFM project managers plan to begin ignitions at 10:00 am with no impact to park visitors. Due to the location of the park, this project will be highly visible to drivers along Interstate 10, southeast of Eloy. Smoke is expected to drift to the north/northeast and may affect the highway. Drivers should use caution in the area. Crews and an engine will monitor the project through the weekend.

All prescribed fire operations must have prior approval from the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality. Unfavorable weather can also delay or cancel burns out of public and firefighter safety. Once ignitions begin, notifications will be made on DFFM’s Facebook and X pages and through the agency’s mobile phone application. That app can be downloaded at https://www.apexmobile.net/app/azdffm/. For more information, contact Tiffany Davila at 602-540-1036 or by email at [email protected]