The fire, dubbed the “Flat Fire,” was discovered Monday afternoon and was reported to cover about 25 acres just north of the San Francisco Peaks.

Forest spokesman Randy Shaffer said it’s not entirely clear at this time how big the blaze is, but based on estimates from workers who circumvented the blaze, officials have put it in perspective. It said it estimated about 150 acres.

“So there was a little bit of growth there. […] Crews are working to set up direct lines to the east and west sides of the fire,” Shaffer told the Arizona Daily Sun. “The rate of spread is low, meaning they’re moving in a north and northeast direction toward the goat tank.”

Shaffer said they have already contained about 5% of flat fires. According to media releases, crews plan to direct control of the blaze to the tip throughout Tuesday.

As of Tuesday morning, efforts to extinguish a fire burning in a mixed pinion-juniper grassy area consisted of two Hotshot crews, one Hand crew, a bulldozer, a water tanker, and four firefighters. the engine is running.

While authorities have used several fires throughout the year to improve forest health, Schaefer said they are taking a full-on approach to suppressing flat fires. The main reason is that the fire is suspected to be man-made.

“There were no records of lightning strikes in the area, so it’s safe to say this was man-made. However, the exact cause is still under investigation,” Schaefer said. “So whenever there is a man-made wildfire, we always do a full containment.”

Meanwhile, operations in the area known as Bear Fire, just north of Lower Lake Mary on Anderson Mesa, are ending.

Shaffer said the fire was extinguished on just 2.8 acres. The fire was first reported at 11:03 am Monday from a watchtower on about a quarter of an acre.

Firefighters immediately began fighting the blaze, with helicopters and about 45 personnel battling the blaze throughout the day.

Still, efforts to extinguish the fire continued through Tuesday, with Hotshot and two engineers clearing the blaze, moving through the burnt area and individually extinguishing stumps and trees that may still be burning.

Smoke from both fires can be visible in and around Flagstaff all day long. There are no closures associated with either fire.

The fires came after several weeks of hot, dry weather and a wave of summer visits to the forest.

Just last month, Coconino National Forest and several other local governments and agencies implemented Stage 1 fire controls across much of northern Arizona. These restrictions prohibit the use of campfires and charcoal grills in undeveloped areas and primitive campgrounds.

Schaefer said there are no plans to implement Stage 2 fire controls at this time.

There’s a slim chance of a storm early in the week, but hotter, drier weather is expected in the Flagstaff area over the weekend.

Little to no precipitation is expected in northern Arizona, according to the Belmont National Weather Service, with a 50% chance of a storm on Tuesday and a 20% chance on Wednesday.

From there, the temperature will rise to the 90s from Friday, with a high of 94 degrees on Saturday and 95 degrees on Sunday. Temperatures can exceed 110 degrees in the lower elevations of the Grand Canyon.

Stage 1 fire limits are in place in both Coconino and Kaibab National Forests, as well as in both the City of Flagstaff and Coconino County.

Stage 1 restrictions prohibit the use of fires, campfires, charcoal, coal, and wood stoves, except within developed recreational sites. Smoking is also prohibited, except in enclosed vehicles, buildings, or developed recreational facilities. Fireworks are prohibited in all national forests and land at all times.