The Horseshoe 2 Fire was a 2011 wildfire located along the southeastern flank of the Chiricahua Mountains in southeastern Arizona. It began in Horseshoe Canyon on the Douglas Ranger District of the Coronado National Forest on May 8, 2011, at approximately 11:00 a.m.[2] The fire was started by human activities,[2][3] and burned over 9,000 acres (14 sq mi; 3,600 ha) in its first day.[4] By June 1, 2011, the fire had burned an area of over 80,500 acres (125.8 sq mi; 32,600 ha) of grasses, shrubs, and trees along the mountain slopes.[5] By June 8, it had grown to 106,661 acres (166.658 sq mi; 43,164 ha).[6] By June 17, the fire was 65% contained[4] and had become the fifth-largest wildfire in Arizona history.[7] 100% containment was achieved on June 25 after a total area of 222,954 acres (348.366 sq mi; 90,226 ha) had burned.[1]

Horseshoe 2 Fire
Photograph of the Horseshoe 2 Fire from space
Date(s)May 8, 2011-June 25, 2011
LocationArizona
Statistics
Burned area222,954 acres (348.366 sq mi; 90,226 ha) (as of 26 June 2011)[1]
Land useforest, wildland/urban interface
Impacts
Structures destroyed23
Damage$50.2 million[1]
Ignition
Causehuman activities
Map
Map
Perimeter of Horseshoe 2 Fire (map data)
Wallow and Horseshoe Two fires (lower left) on June 12, 2011.
Horseshoe 2 Fire is located in Arizona
Horseshoe 2 Fire
Horseshoe 2 Fire

Post-fire conditions edit

Regions of the Chiricahua Mountains close to the small commonwealth of Portal are experiencing a slow ecological recovery after the Horseshoe 2 fire burned more than 200,000 acres in 2011.[8] Both the biggest draws to the area are intact, but a lot has changed after the fire swept across the rugged mountains.[9] Additionally, because of a mix of flood harm after the fire and infrequent maintenance, trail conditions have changed quickly, and particularly during monsoon season it is necessary to be careful.[10]

References edit

  1. ^ a b c Northern Rockies Incident Management Team (26 June 2011). "Horseshoe 2 Fire Update for 6-26, 8 AM". InciWeb: Incident Information System. Archived from the original on 13 June 2011.
  2. ^ a b "Horseshoe 2 Fire, Arizona". NASA. 21 May 2011.
  3. ^ Jordan, Derek (14 May 2011) "Horseshoe 2 Fire is hurting several small businesses" The Sierra Vista Herald; archived here by WebCite
  4. ^ a b Great Basin 2 Incident Management Team (17 June 2011). "Horseshoe Two: Horseshoe 2 Update for 6-17, 11 AM". InciWeb: Incident Information System. Archived from the original on 13 June 2011.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  5. ^ "Horseshoe Two Fire Sized at 80,500 Acres, Remains 75 Percent Contained"Arizona Emergency Information Network (AzEIN) Bulletin, 1 June 2011; archived by WebCite
  6. ^ Horseshoe 2 Fire Update, June 8, 2011 9:00 AM, InciWeb.org.
  7. ^ "Massive White Mountains fire marks start of frightening season", Pete Aleshire. Payson Roundup. June 10, 2011. Accessed June 11, 2011
  8. ^ Grove, Ashley. "Horseshoe 2 Fire, Two Years Later - AZPM". www.azpm.org.
  9. ^ Naylor, Roger. "Tempered beauty at Chiricahua National Monument". azcentral.com.
  10. ^ "Chiricahua Mountains Hiking Trails". www.chiricahuatrails.com.

External links edit

31°49′12″N 109°12′40″W / 31.82°N 109.211°W / 31.82; -109.211