The 1,300-acre Rattlesnake Fire is burning in a remote area and does not threaten any structures or communication lines, according to an official with the Prescott National Forest.
The blaze, located about 60 miles north of Phoenix and 5 miles west of Bumble Bee, was first spotted Sunday, said Debbie Maneely of the Prescott National Forest’s public affairs office. The fire is burning in the Castle Creek Wilderness and can be seen by people traveling on Interstate 17.
The lightning-caused fire was burning Monday in a steep and rugged part of the wilderness. To ensure firefighter and public safety, crews were monitoring the flames and developing strategies to make watershed and habitat improvements, Maneely said.
“We have firefighters at Sunset point right now,” Maneely said. “We do have air attack which flies over the fire a couple times a day. And we do have some crews that we’re moving up into the Crown King area, just to be safe there. But at this time it’s not threatening any communities at all."
The Rattlesnake Fire’s main fuels are grass and dry brush. Maneely said that hot, dry and windy weather could cause it to increase in acreage over the next couple days.
Updated 8/17/2015 at 4:53 p.m.
