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)

Clouds and wind are affecting the fire area (ADOT Traffic Cam Photo)

LATEST UPDATE HERE (OCTOBER 5TH, 6 PM)

10:00 PM UPDATE, OCTOBER 4:  Personnel working the fire has nearly doubled since yesterday; 450 firefighters are currently working the fire.  Fire still at 10-15 percent containment.

7:00 PM UPDATE, OCTOBER 4:  Despite heavy winds throughout most of the day, the Twin Fire stayed at 1,000 acres.  The fire is now listed at 10-15 percent contained.  Fire crews were unable to attack the fire from the air, but they were able to make progress building line on the northeast side of the fire, keeping it from moving into the outskirts of Williams.

The Kaibab National Forest announced this evening that both Williams High School and Williams Elementary-Middle School will be closed Monday due to the fire.  Williams Elementary-Middle School is being used as an evacuation center for residents on the southwest corner of town that have been evacuated.

The High Wind Warning for the Williams area (along with much of northern Arizona)  will expire at 8 PM MST this evening, although the National Weather Service is predicting 10-20 mph winds overnight with gusts to 35 mph possible for Williams.

High Wind Warning

4:00 PM UPDATE, OCTOBER 4:  The Kaibab National Forest’s Twitter site is reporting that businesses within the evacuated area are being allowed to re-open, although the homes in the affected area are still under evacuation order.  The Kaibab Lake Recreation Area is closed to the public as it is now a staging site for firefighters.  250 firefighters are currently working the fire.

High winds in the Williams area have grounded air operations today, but the Kaibab National Forest reports that fire crews are making progress on the fire lines.  Southwest winds have started small spot fires ahead of the Twin Fire, but fire crews have been successful with putting those fires out.  –Update by Patrick Walker

12:00 PM UPDATE, OCTOBER 4- Bill Van Bruggen’s Type I Incident Management Team is now managing the firefighting efforts. The fire still sits about a mile southwest (MAP) of the town of Williams, and crews will continue with their objectives of “provid(ing) for firefighter and public safety, and minimize impacts to private and public property.”

Windy conditions may prevent air tankers and helicopters from fighting the fire today. An ADOT traffic camera from just west of Williams has shown some storm clouds move into the area, and National Weather Service reporting stations are showing winds across the area in the 25-35 mph range, with 50+ mph gusts.

No new evacuations have been ordered.  The Red Cross is manning the evacuation center at Williams Middle School. — Update by Patrick Walker.

PREVIOUS UPDATES HERE.