Spread of Punkin Fire south of Payson, AZ stopped after burning more than 300 acres

Punkin Fire near Punkin Center, Arizona. Photo credit: AZ Dept. of Forestry.

The Punkin Fire that led to an evacuation Monday near Punkin Center, Arizona burned 304 acres before firefighters stopped the spread. The blaze burned very close to State Route 188 which had to be temporarily closed.

On Monday the fire was being pushed by winds out of the south and southeast with gusts of 15 to 30 mph while the relative humidity was 10 percent.

The Punkin Fire is 40 air miles south of Payson and 15 miles northwest of Theodore Roosevelt Lake.

Investigators determined it was caused by an escaped pile burn on private land.

Thanks and a tip of the hat go out to Jeff.

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. View all posts by Bill Gabbert

One thought on “Spread of Punkin Fire south of Payson, AZ stopped after burning more than 300 acres”

My bro Ace from Payson was responsible for stopping the spread of this fire. At first, he kindly asked the fire to stop spreading. When it refused to comply, Ace raised his voice and asked again in a threatening manner. At this point the fire complied and ceased its spread.

Three cheers for Ace please. (He was the guy with the scraggly black beard and chest hair crawling out of the top of his yellow.)

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