Tonto National Forest set to begin pile burns on Mesa Ranger District

PHOENIX, Ariz., Oct. 14, 2025 — Tonto National Forest is planning five pile burns beginning Wednesday, Oct. 15, pending favorable conditions and required approvals. We estimate this work to be completed by Thursday, Oct. 16, as weather conditions allow. We use prescribed fires to help reduce overgrown vegetation to help protect local communities, infrastructure and natural resources from wildfires.

Prescribed fires planned for the area include (see map for precise locations):

• Goldfield (map)
• Mud Cliffs (map)
• Saguaro Lake Ranch (map)
• Butcher Jones (map)
• Sunflower Admin Site (map)

Those areas may close to the public for several days for public safety. Watch for warning signs along roads near all prescribed fire areas before and during burns. 

Residents may experience smoke during the prescribed burns in the communities of Sunflower, Goldfield Ranch, Saguaro Lake Ranch and motorists driving Bush Hwy and State Hwy 87. These burns will last two days and ignitions will cease each day by 3:00 p.m. to reduce smoke impacts. For more detailed information about air quality, go to AirNow online or download the app. When driving, slow down and turn on your headlights when you encounter smoke on the road.

We will evaluate weather conditions in the hours before a burn begins. If conditions warrant, scheduled prescribed fire activities may be canceled.

Stay informed about the scheduled prescribed fires through the forest website and social media channels. We will notify county emergency management officials when burning begins.  

About the Forest Service: The USDA Forest Service has for more than 100 years brought people and communities together to answer the call of conservation. Grounded in world-class science and technology– and rooted in communities–the Forest Service connects people to nature and to each other. The Forest Service cares for shared natural resources in ways that promote lasting economic, ecological, and social vitality. The agency manages 193 million acres of public land, provides assistance to state and private landowners, maintains the largest wildland fire and forestry research organizations in the world. The Forest Service also has either a direct or indirect role in stewardship of about 900 million forested acres within the U.S., of which over 130 million acres are urban forests where most Americans live.