Heavy smoke along Interstate 17 has dissipated south of Flagstaff after crews conducted a four-day operation redirecting the Newman Fire's path alongside the Lake Mary recreation area.
The wildfire started July 4 by a lightning strike and temporarily shut down campgrounds along the lake’s western edge.
The Forest Service used ground and helicopter crews to perform firing and burnout operations.
That, said spokesman Angsar Mitchel, “allows us to move it across the landscape quicker, that way smoke is of a shorter duration.”
As of Friday, the fire was 10 percent contained and had burned nearly 8 square miles.
Drivers and visitors from Interstate 17 to the Lake Mary corridor should exercise extreme caution when entering areas of heavy smoke during the fire season.
