Fire crews mop up around the perimeter of the Eagle Rock Fire (Courtesy: USFS/Kaibab National Forest)

WILLIAMS (NAZ Today)– Firefighters are close to fully containing the Eagle Rock Fire northeast of Williams.

Officials are expecting to reach 100 percent containment on the fire by Friday.  The fire has burned 3,420 acres near Spring Valley.  Crews will be focusing on mopping up (getting water onto the remaining hot spots) and finishing fire line over the next day or two.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation, but officials believe it was started by a dry lightning strike.

The Kaibab National Forest advises residents that some hazards still exist where the fire has already burned.  Weakened, burned trees can fall if winds gust, and with the Monsoon thunderstorms likely in the next few weeks, flash flooding and soil erosion is possible.

Management of the fire will be transitioned back to local Kaibab National Forest crews from the Northern Arizona Type-2 Incident Management Team.

The National Weather Service is predicting southwest winds from 20-25 m.p.h. gusting to near 40 m.p.h. along the I-40 corridor. Flagstaff’s predicted high temperature Monday is 78 degrees, with 81 degrees in the Doney Park area.  74 degrees is predicted for the Eagle Rock Fire area north of Parks.

Relative humidities are predicted to be very low, meaning the air will be very dry again Monday.

WILLIAMS (NAZ Today)– Firefighters are continuing to make progress on the Eagle Rock Fire 11 miles northeast of Williams.

Fire officials are expecting to have the fire contained by 12 am Wednesday morning. It has burned 3,420 acres, and is not expected to grow. The fire is smoldering and smoking according to a release from Fire Information Officer Brienne Magee.

664 firefighters are on scene, although 170 firefighters have been released to the Schultz Fire north of Flagstaff.

Click map to enlarge. Courtesy: Inciweb.com/Kaibab National Forest

Firefighters confer on the front line of the Eagle Rock Fire Thursday afternoon (Chad Black/APSN.us)

WILLIAMS (NAZ Today, 12:00 PM)– Thanks to some major progress overnight, most evacuees have been allowed to return to their homes in the Spring Valley area.

Firefighters made significant progress putting out hot spots and strengthening fire line last night, according to Public Information Officer Brienne Magee in a media release.

3,415 acres have burned so far, and fire crews are still listing containment at 30 percent.  Today’s weather will be similar to Thursday’s, with temperatures hovering near 80 degrees with low humidity and breezy southwesterly winds.  The Kaibab National Forest says that firefighters will be focusing on the southwest flank of the fire, which is in difficult terrain.

County Road 141 remains closed between mile 8 and mile 10. Some homeowners will have to wait to return to their homes until crews mop up in certain areas, according to Magee.  Forest Service officials say that residents returning home should use SR 64 or Spring Valley Road.  Power has been restored to most of the homes.  Firefighters are still providing structure protection in Spring Valley as a precaution.

A public meeting will be held tonight at the Maine Consolidated School in Parks starting at 6 pm.  Incident Commander John Philbin will be at the meeting to answer questions.

Stick with NAZ Today.com for the latest on the Eagle Rock Fire.

Thursday’s Recap HERE

Photo of the fire's plume late Wednesday afternoon taken from a Forest Service road north of the fire (Photo: Mike Gillespie/Summit Fire Dept)

FRIDAY’S LATEST UPDATES

WILLIAMS (NAZ Today, 7:30 PM)– Afternoon breezes and dry conditions have allowed the Eagle Rock Fire to more than triple in size this afternoon.

Crews made progress Thursday battling the 3,415-acre Eagle Rock Fire near Spring Valley, despite experiencing less-than-ideal firefighting conditions. Breezes continued into the evening hours, but crews were still able to gain 30 percent containment on the fire.

Overnight burnout operations and better aerial mapping have also contributed to the latest size estimate.  Firefighters experienced some high winds Thursday, although they were much less than 55 mph gusts seen on Wednesday.  Thursday’s winds averaged in the 10-20 mph range, with gusts to 25 mph.  Warm temperatures and low humidity (11%) helped the fire burn actively throughout the day.

A firefighting helicopter dips its "Bambi Bucket" into a lake (Photo: Chad Black/APSN.us)

John Philbin’s Northern Arizona Type-2 Incident Management Team took over control of the fire this morning at 6 am. By nightfall, the number of firefighters on scene increased from 250 to 316.  Resources include two air tankers, three helicopters, four hotshot crews, a 20-person hand crew, 16 fire engines, and several pieces of heavy equipment.

Helicopters and air tankers were able to fight the fire because winds were lighter Thursday.  The high winds Wednesday grounded all air tanker efforts.

The cause of the fire is still unknown at this time.  The Kaibab National Forest lists the fire’s growth potential at high.  Fire crews will conduct additional burnout operations overnight to continue to slow the progress of the fire by control burning some of the fuels ahead of the main fire. Crews will also reinforce the established containment lines.

Stay with NAZToday.com for the latest information as it happens.

For Wednesday’s fire activity recap, click here.

Thick smoke from the Eagle Rock Fire rises above the pine trees near Spring Valley (Photo: Chad Black/APSN.us)

WILLIAMS (NAZ Today, 9:45 PM)– A rapidly-spreading wildfire has forced 50 people to evacuate from their homes northeast of Williams.

Smoke from the Eagle Rock Fire over the San Francisco Peaks, as seen from Meteor Crater near Winslow (Photo: Patrick Walker/NAZ Today)

The Kaibab National Forest is reporting that the Eagle Rock Fire  scorched 1,000 acres on Wednesday.  Sustained southwest winds of 25 miles per hour with gusts to 55 mph prevented air tankers from fighting the fire, although helicopters were active throughout the day.

250 firefighters are fighting the fire as of 9 pm, and they will continue to fight the fire overnight.  The Northern Arizona Type-2 Incident Management Team will take over management of the fire starting Thursday morning, according to  Kaibab National Forest officials.

KNF Fire Information Officer Punky Moore said in a release that the fire spread rapidly during the day Wednesday and firefighters had to keep up with the fire spotting, meaning embers blown ahead of the main blaze were starting small fires, helping it to grow.

Coconino County Sheriff’s Office deputies and volunteers went door-to-door issuing evacuation orders to Spring Valley residences located between Forest Service Rd 76 and County Rd 141, near the junction with County Rd 144.  Around 50 people ended up evacuating, according to Moore.

3:30 PM cell phone picture from I-40 in Williams (Courtesy: Donia Gillespie)

Four air tankers are on order to help fight the fire when the winds in the area die down.

The cause of the blaze is listed as unknown as Wednesday evening.

Forecasters are expecting the winds to be much lighter for Thursday.

The fire was first spotted and reported by the Kendrick Mountain fire lookout tower late this morning.

Stick with NAZToday.com for continuing coverage of the Eagle Rock Fire.

WILLIAMS (NAZ Today)– The Coconino County Sheriff’s Office is evacuating residents  ahead of the Eagle Rock Fire.

CCSO Spokesman Gerry Blair says that deputies and volunteers are going door-to-door to residences located between Forest Service Rd 76 and County Rd 141, near the junction with County Rd 144, issuing evacuation orders.   Residents are being asked to report to the Maine Consolidated School in Parks to check in with authorities, so that authorities can be accounted for them.

The American Red Cross says it is setting up a shelter and reception center at the Maine Consolidated School, which will open at 7 pm.