Bighorn, Bush fires rage, force evacuations in Arizona
By
Renee Duff, AccuWeather senior meteorologist
Published Jun 11, 2020 10:56 AM EDT
Families evacuated from their homes as the lightning-sparked Bighorn Fire, which has scorched at least 6,200 acres as of June 12, burns near Tucson, Arizona.
Hundreds of residents were forced to flee northern parts of Tucson, Arizona, with little notice on Thursday as the Bighorn Fire raged near the Catalina Foothills. Forecasters say that a dangerous combination of weather conditions will keep the threat high for fires like Bighorn to spread further and for new fires to ignite to end the weekend.
One such fire ignited on Sunday afternoon, local time, just outside of Phoenix, Arizona. This new fire, dubbed the Bush Fire, quickly spread throughout the day Sunday and even doubled in size to nearly 14,400 acres overnight.
The Bush Fire is currently at 0% containment, according to the Gila County Sheriff’s Office. Although there are currently no evacuation orders in place, residents of Punkin Center and Tonto Basin, Arizona, have been told to remain alert.
Arizona has the largest concentration of ongoing wildfires across the southwestern United States, according to the National Wildfire Coordinating Group, with California, Nevada, Colorado, New Mexico and West Texas also reporting blazes.
Lightning sparked the Bighorn blaze back on June 5, and it has spread rapidly in recent days. On Wednesday, the Bighorn Fire had scorched around 3,200 acres, but by Sunday, it had grown to 13,500 acres with just 22-percent containment, according to InciWeb.
One of the biggest challenges in battling this blaze is the landscape of the Catalina Mountains where it is burning.
“This fire has been really complex from the [beginning]. With that terrain, it’s super steep, super rocky, so a lot of it is just not safe for our firefighters to be on the ground up there unfortunately, so a lot of this fire has been surpassed and managed from the air with helicopters and air tankers,” Adam Jarrold told AccuWeather. Jarrold is the public information officer assigned to the Bighorn Fire.
The Pima County Sheriff's Department went door-to-door in the northern parts of the Catalina Foothills to ensure that residents in danger of the fire were able to get to safety in time. People that live nearby should monitor the situation closely and be prepared to leave if the mandatory evacuation orders are expanded.
“As the fire gets closer to the homes, we have hotshots getting behind the communities to create firebreaks, using hand tools, chainsaws to remove any fuel for the fire,” said Jarrold.
More than 400 firefighters from all across the region are converging on the Bighorn Fire to help contain the blaze and to prevent it from endangering more structures, The Associated Press said.
Those that need to evacuate should make sure to keep safety precautions in mind amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Residents should avoid close contact with those who are sick and should practice public health recommendations when relocating,” the department stated in its evacuation notice. “Grab your emergency go kit. Keep in mind unique needs for your family or special equipment for pets and livestock.”
Local resident Scott Fadynich is dangerously close to the fire and is preparing to evacuate the moment that evacuation orders are given.
“It’s just my wife and myself. We took some time [Thursday], put the breaks on everything else I’ve been doing and just gathered important documents and a few things that we feel like are priceless,” Fadynich told AccuWeather News Reporter Bill Wadell on Friday.
Friday afternoon, the Pima County Office of Emergency Management and the Pima County Sheriff's Department downgraded the evacuation status, allowing previously evacuated residents to return to their homes. However, they caution for people to remain alert and prepared.
Shortly after the evacuation status was lifted in the Catalina Foothills, a new evacuation order was announced for the Catalina area.
On Sunday evening, the evacuation status in the area was downgraded once again.
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Other notable fires across the Southwest include the Elizabeth Fire and the Lime Fire, both burning in Ventura County, California. The Lime Fire is the bigger of the two, however as of Sunday evening, the 800-acre fire is 90%, according to Cal Fire.
On Friday afternoon around 1 p.m. PDT, Cal Fire declared a new fire, the Grant Fire, in Sacramento County, California. Within four hours, the blaze exploded from 100 acres to 5,000 acres. As of Sunday evening, the Grant Fire is at 90% containment. Video of damage from the fire shows charred fields and small flames still eating away at the remaining plant life. In Fresno County, California, the Hog Fire ignited, reaching up to 600 acres by Saturday afternoon.
Any type of outdoor burning is strongly discouraged in the pattern as wind gusts are likely to frequent 20-30 mph with an AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 60 mph possible. Such winds can easily turn a few sparks into a rapidly spreading blaze in minutes.
The use of outdoor power equipment should also be limited, and cigarettes should be properly discarded.
The gusty winds can also lead to blowing dust in the deserts, resulting in poor visibility for motorists at times. Loose, lightweight outdoor items should be brought inside before the winds pick up.
AccuWeather meteorologists expect additional fire threats this week with several more rounds of gusty winds across the Southwest.
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
Report a Typo
News / Severe Weather
Bighorn, Bush fires rage, force evacuations in Arizona
By Renee Duff, AccuWeather senior meteorologist
Published Jun 11, 2020 10:56 AM EDT
Families evacuated from their homes as the lightning-sparked Bighorn Fire, which has scorched at least 6,200 acres as of June 12, burns near Tucson, Arizona.
Hundreds of residents were forced to flee northern parts of Tucson, Arizona, with little notice on Thursday as the Bighorn Fire raged near the Catalina Foothills. Forecasters say that a dangerous combination of weather conditions will keep the threat high for fires like Bighorn to spread further and for new fires to ignite to end the weekend.
One such fire ignited on Sunday afternoon, local time, just outside of Phoenix, Arizona. This new fire, dubbed the Bush Fire, quickly spread throughout the day Sunday and even doubled in size to nearly 14,400 acres overnight.
The Bush Fire is currently at 0% containment, according to the Gila County Sheriff’s Office. Although there are currently no evacuation orders in place, residents of Punkin Center and Tonto Basin, Arizona, have been told to remain alert.
Arizona has the largest concentration of ongoing wildfires across the southwestern United States, according to the National Wildfire Coordinating Group, with California, Nevada, Colorado, New Mexico and West Texas also reporting blazes.
Lightning sparked the Bighorn blaze back on June 5, and it has spread rapidly in recent days. On Wednesday, the Bighorn Fire had scorched around 3,200 acres, but by Sunday, it had grown to 13,500 acres with just 22-percent containment, according to InciWeb.
One of the biggest challenges in battling this blaze is the landscape of the Catalina Mountains where it is burning.
“This fire has been really complex from the [beginning]. With that terrain, it’s super steep, super rocky, so a lot of it is just not safe for our firefighters to be on the ground up there unfortunately, so a lot of this fire has been surpassed and managed from the air with helicopters and air tankers,” Adam Jarrold told AccuWeather. Jarrold is the public information officer assigned to the Bighorn Fire.
The Pima County Sheriff's Department went door-to-door in the northern parts of the Catalina Foothills to ensure that residents in danger of the fire were able to get to safety in time. People that live nearby should monitor the situation closely and be prepared to leave if the mandatory evacuation orders are expanded.
“As the fire gets closer to the homes, we have hotshots getting behind the communities to create firebreaks, using hand tools, chainsaws to remove any fuel for the fire,” said Jarrold.
More than 400 firefighters from all across the region are converging on the Bighorn Fire to help contain the blaze and to prevent it from endangering more structures, The Associated Press said.
Those that need to evacuate should make sure to keep safety precautions in mind amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Residents should avoid close contact with those who are sick and should practice public health recommendations when relocating,” the department stated in its evacuation notice. “Grab your emergency go kit. Keep in mind unique needs for your family or special equipment for pets and livestock.”
Local resident Scott Fadynich is dangerously close to the fire and is preparing to evacuate the moment that evacuation orders are given.
“It’s just my wife and myself. We took some time [Thursday], put the breaks on everything else I’ve been doing and just gathered important documents and a few things that we feel like are priceless,” Fadynich told AccuWeather News Reporter Bill Wadell on Friday.
Friday afternoon, the Pima County Office of Emergency Management and the Pima County Sheriff's Department downgraded the evacuation status, allowing previously evacuated residents to return to their homes. However, they caution for people to remain alert and prepared.
Shortly after the evacuation status was lifted in the Catalina Foothills, a new evacuation order was announced for the Catalina area.
On Sunday evening, the evacuation status in the area was downgraded once again.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
Other notable fires across the Southwest include the Elizabeth Fire and the Lime Fire, both burning in Ventura County, California. The Lime Fire is the bigger of the two, however as of Sunday evening, the 800-acre fire is 90%, according to Cal Fire.
On Friday afternoon around 1 p.m. PDT, Cal Fire declared a new fire, the Grant Fire, in Sacramento County, California. Within four hours, the blaze exploded from 100 acres to 5,000 acres. As of Sunday evening, the Grant Fire is at 90% containment. Video of damage from the fire shows charred fields and small flames still eating away at the remaining plant life. In Fresno County, California, the Hog Fire ignited, reaching up to 600 acres by Saturday afternoon.
Any type of outdoor burning is strongly discouraged in the pattern as wind gusts are likely to frequent 20-30 mph with an AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 60 mph possible. Such winds can easily turn a few sparks into a rapidly spreading blaze in minutes.
Related:
The use of outdoor power equipment should also be limited, and cigarettes should be properly discarded.
The gusty winds can also lead to blowing dust in the deserts, resulting in poor visibility for motorists at times. Loose, lightweight outdoor items should be brought inside before the winds pick up.
AccuWeather meteorologists expect additional fire threats this week with several more rounds of gusty winds across the Southwest.
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
Report a Typo