Fire officials from the Tonto National Forest plan to burn around 75 acres of piles on Tuesday, Feb. 12 and Wednesday, Feb. 13. The piles are near the Vista Verde subdivision from 136th Street to 170th Street north of Rio Verde/Dynamite Drive. Residents and visitors in the area should expect light to moderate amounts of smoke and flames during burning operation. Forest officials urge drivers to use caution and slow down while driving through these areas for the safety of firefighters and the public. The purpose of this fuels reduction work is to remove leftover slash from thinning operations during a time when conditions are favorable. This thinning effort is intended to lower the threat of wildfires to the public and natural resources in the area.