The announcement that came Thursday afternoon was accompanied by an evacuation order for South Garland Prairie. A Red Cross shelter was set up at Sinagua Middle School to accommodate evacuated residents.

Fire spokesperson Jessica Richardson said the evacuations were necessary not because the Rafael Fire was getting imminently close to the area, but to accommodate planned back burns. That’s when firefighters light fires of their own with the intent of consuming forest fuels in an area, making it difficult for a blaze to continue in that direction.

“With us putting fire on the ground for the backbone operations, we're essentially, you know, putting fire all around those folks,” Richardson said, adding that it was determined with the sheriff’s office that it would be safest to evacuate the area.

Those back burns were likely to begin Thursday evening and continue throughout Friday, Richardson said. She added that they often like to conduct back burns at night when there is more moisture in the air and fire is easier to control.

“That provides us with a nice little bit of buffer in our finer fuels, because they're a little bit wetter, they burn a little slower. So it's easier to manage,” Richardson said.

It appears fire managers intend to use back burns to try to contain large areas of the northern and western portions of the fire.

During a video briefing posted to social media, Rocky Gilbert, an operations section chief working on the fire, said firefighters plan to burn areas of the forest to the east and west of Sycamore Canyon and the nearby Camp Raymond Boy Scouts camp. Firefighters plan to use forest roads in the area and natural barriers to help them contain both the Rafael Fire and the blazes they set themselves.

Gilbert said the fire has been moving up the canyon at a fairly significant pace for some time, but it is believed the burnout operations will go a long way in halting the blaze.

On the Prescott National Forest, the southwest corner of the fire has not advanced west or south for the last two days.

To the south, bellow the Mogollon Rim and closer to the Sedona area, crews also worked to identify suitable areas to build fire lines and strategic points where firefighters can begin working directly and indirectly to suppress the blaze as it burns in the Red Rock Secret Mountain Wilderness.

Gilbert suggested that when it came to that side of the fire, rather than conducting back burns, their containment strategy might rely more on traditional fire lines constructed by hand crews and bulldozers.

Gilbert said fire managers know the fire has grown, but the official size remains about 36,000 acres as they have not been able to get another good measurement by flyover.

Although other fires across the state mean resources remain stretched, Richardson said they now have a hotshot crew and five other hand crews all working the Rafael Fire. Additionally, Richardson said they have about 12 fire engines, six bulldozers and a water truck, as well as various aircraft when fire managers request them.

In all, that totals nearly 200 personnel working the fire, Richardson said.

Both Richardson and Gilbert are members of the top tier team that took over management of the fire Thursday at 6 a.m.

That team just finished managing the Telegraph Fire east of Phoenix that forced evacuations in several communities and grew to an estimated 180,725 acres.

Richardson said after a few days of rest and relaxation after working the Telegraph Fire, which is now 89% contained, the team is hard at work on the Rafael Fire.

No longer 'set'

The decision to downgrade communities in Coconino County and Flagstaff that are south of I-40 and west of I-17 from the “set” to “ready” status came after consultation with that new fire management team, according to the sheriff’s office.

Based on fire behavior, fuel types, natural barriers, estimated time of evacuation and other factors, it was determined that the areas were no longer currently in imminent danger from the Rafael Fire, according to a media release.

The decision means residents of Kachina Village, Forest Highlands, Pine Del, Mountain Dell, Flagstaff Ranch (including W. L. Gore & Associates buildings), Westwood Estates and University Heights are all on the “ready” status.

Those areas had been on “set” status since Monday.

County officials still warn residents that they should still monitor fire activity nearby and that they should always have basic plans in place should an evacuation be necessary.

Fires to the south

Farther to the south, reports showed the Snake Fire at 130 acres and 60% contained.

That fire is located about 7 miles west of Clints Well on the northern edge of West Clear Creek.

That fire had been last recorded at about 75 acres, but fire officials say the increase in acreage is due to more accurate mapping. A combination of topography and terrain has made it challenging to both survey the fire and work to contain it.

Those issues also make it difficult to determine the cause of the fire, officials say.

Crews spent Wednesday strengthening hand line built on the canyon rim. Crews were quick to build line around 80% of the fire, but the aforementioned rough terrain has made it difficult for crews to work in the West Clear Creek drainage.

There are now two fire engines and a hotshot crew monitoring and working the blaze.

Nearby communities, including those to the east and northeast of the fire, remain on "set" evacuation status by the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office.

Fire officials also reminded residents to refrain from flying drones in and around any wildfire. When drones are flown in the area of a blaze, they can pose a threat to firefighting aircraft that are often grounded or sent elsewhere until the drone leaves.

Even farther south, fire crews continued to work on the Backbone Fire that forced evacuations in Pine and Strawberry. That fire has grown to an estimated 40,500 acres and is 1% contained.

Slate Fire

To the north, the Slate Fire that caused a temporary closure of Highway 180 earlier this month is at 90% containment and 11,435 acres.

While the Slate Fire is no longer active and growing, Coconino fire officials say crews are hesitant to designate the fire as fully contained based on a few unburned pockets of fuel located within the blaze's footprint.

Fire personnel will likely deem the fire as 100% contained after the area receives a significant amount of precipitation.

Recreation sites in the area remain closed due to a full closure of the Coconino National Forest.