Tucson, Ariz. (13 News) – Crews manage burning wildfires 20 miles southeast, about 20 miles southeast of Patagonia in Santa Cruz County.

The Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management said the ranch fires were over 2,700 acres with 47% containment as of Thursday morning.

ADFFM said mop-up operations will continue and the engine will continue to monitor and patrol areas where it is looking for smoke and hotspots.

The Tuesday began around 10am on Wednesday, when the trees were struck by lightning. It grew rapidly due to dry conditions and wind.

Tiffany Davila of the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management told 13 News that this is expected.

“This is a typical fire in southern Arizona, moving through that wonderful field bed pushed against the wind,” Davila said. “It’s going to burn very quickly, and it’s going to burn very quickly.”

Approximately 135 people were assigned to the fire, including aircraft, engines and hand crews. The fire began on state land, but both organizations had crews working as they moved to the Coronado National Forest.

“In most cases, when temperatures drop, the sun sets and the relative humidity increases, it actually helps to mitigate fire activity,” added Davila.

Wildfire season

It was a busy season in southern Arizona. The crew responded to 12 named wildfires and countless brush fires in the counties of Pima, Cochese and Santa Cruz.

• Chinofire: It started near Tubac on March 20th. It burned about 140 acres and decided to be raised by humans. The Whipple Observatory was about 3 miles from the fire but was not damaged.
• Saddle Brook Fire: It started on March 22nd near Oracle Junction. It burned nearly 100 acres and was accompanied by 18 different fires burning from 79 sr. Investigators said that someone dragged the chains in.
• Base fire: It was launched on April 28th near Sunsites-Pearce. It burned nearly 2,200 acres and at least one outbuilding was destroyed. It has been confirmed that humans are the case.
• Mason Fire: It started on April 30th near the old Bisbee. I burned nine acres, but was quickly trapped. The cause is under investigation, but there were no storms in the area.
• Blythe Fire: It began on May 9th near the town of Pima. Approximately 3,300 acres were burned. The cause is under investigation, but there were no storms in the area.
• Maverick Fire: It started near Wilcox on Tuesday, May 20th. It burned about 20 acres, but was included soon. The cause is under investigation, but there were no storms in the area.
• Cedar Fire: It started near Oracle on Tuesday, May 20th. It burned about 10:30 and was included immediately. The cause is under investigation, but there were no storms in the area.
• Codifier: It began on Wednesday, May 21st near Oracle. It burned over 1,200 acres, destroyed five homes, and destroyed another. Eight other structures were also burned, and several residents were ineffective for several days. By June 3, 95% had been included and all restrictions had been lifted. The cause is under investigation, but there were no storms in the area.
• Cienega Fire: It started near Bale on Interstate 10 on Friday, May 23rd. It burned on less than acres, but was forced to close Interstate 10 for a short time. Thankfully, the crew was able to quickly stop moving forward. The cause is under investigation, but investigators said that someone could be dragging the chain.
• Cortaro Fire: It began on Saturday, May 24th at the Santa Cruz River and Cortaro Road near the Interstate 10 River. He burned at least 111 acres, but there were no injuries and the structure was undamaged. The cause is under investigation, but there were no storms in the area. On May 29th, 88 crimes announced a reward of up to $1,000 for information that led to the arrest of those responsible.
• Parker Fire: It began on Tuesday, June 3rd at Huachuca Mountains. The fire was less than an acre, and the crew was able to quickly establish the line. The cause is under investigation.

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