U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT NEWS RELEASE
Gila District
Gila District
| Contacts: | Diane Drobka. 928-348-4403, 520-975-1757 (cell) | |||
| Andrew Atkinson, 520-258-7240, 928-961-4649 (cell) |
HILTON FIRE
February 13, 2012: 11:30 a.m.
Location:
- Empire Hills east of Highway 83, north of Sonoita, Arizona
- Private land and public land administered by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
Size: 533 acres
Start Date: February 11, 2012
Cause: Human caused on private land, under investigation
Percent Contained: 60%
Resources Assigned: Approximately 130 people including:
- Multiple federal (BLM and Coronado National Forest) and local fire department engines
- Four Arizona Division of Forestry 20-person hand crews
- Miscellaneous overhead (support personnel)
Summary: The fire is currently 60% contained and is not anticipated to increase in acreage, barring any change in weather or wind conditions. Fire is burning in grass and brush. Winds are currently calm. Only visible smoke is from within the fire perimeter. Structure protection is in place on private land.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land, the most of any Federal agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. In Fiscal Year (FY) 2011, recreational and other activities on BLM-managed land contributed more than $130 billion to the U.S. economy and supported more than 600,000 American jobs. The Bureau is also one of a handful of agencies that collects more revenue than it spends. In FY 2012, nearly $5.7 billion will be generated on lands managed by the BLM, which operates on a $1.1 billion budget. The BLM's multiple-use mission is to sustain the health and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. The Bureau accomplishes this by managing such activities as outdoor recreation, livestock grazing, mineral development, and energy production, and by conserving natural, historical, cultural, and other resources on public lands.