Firefighters make progress on the Sawmill Fire in Arizona

Map Sawmill Fire

Above: Map of the Sawmill Fire east of Green Valley, Arizona as of April 26, 2017. 

Firefighters battling the 46,954-acre Sawmill Fire 23 miles southeast of Tucson have been able to slow the spread over the last two days in spite of strong winds. Satellite imagery from early Friday morning did not show any large concentrations of heat over the previous 24 hours. This does not mean the fire is out, and there is no doubt a lot of line building and mopup work still has to be accomplished.

For the last two days the Sawmill Fire has been most active on the northeast side where aircraft have been assisting firefighters on the ground to slow the spread.

A Red Flag Warning for strong winds is still in place for the fire area as well as most of southern Arizona and southwest New Mexico.

On Thursday the Arizona Department of Transportation reopened Arizona Highway 83 south of Interstate 10.

The Pima County Office of Emergency Management has lifted the pre-evacuation order for residents on the west side of Arizona Highway 83. Residents in the Hilton Ranch area remain under pre-evacuation notice. An evacuation order remains in place for Rain Valley.

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Author: Bill Gabbert

After working full time in wildland fire for 33 years, he continues to learn, and strives to be a Student of Fire.