The Horton Fire began nearly three weeks ago, Dec. 14, and has been burning across the Mollogon Rim near Payson reaching 1,352 acres as of early Friday, Jan. 3.
The blaze is 17% contained, according to the Inciweb fire management website.
The Forest Service has closed a large portion of the area within Tonto National Forest and Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest for safety concerns. The closures include areas along Forest Road 300 on the Rim west of Woods Canyon Lake to west of Promontory Butte. The closure extends down the slopes to SR 260 between the Fish Hatchery and the Christopher Creek area.
