5:58 p.m. MDT June 16, 2022

Firefighters on the Contreras Fire in Southern Arizona had their work cut out for them Thursday. They were battling the wildfire on the hottest day so far of this year. The temperature at the Sasabe weather station southeast of the fire topped out at 106 degrees while the relative humidity dropped to 5 percent. The wind was out of the south and west at 5 mph gusting at 12 to 23 mph.

To see all of the articles on Wildfire Today about the Contreras Fire, including the most recent, click HERE.

In the video below the massive dust devil indicates an unstable atmosphere which can indicate conditions conducive to a plume-driven rapidly spreading wildfire.

 

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The fire started from lightning on a remote ridge of the Baboquivari Mountains, north of the Baboquivari Peak on the Tohono O’odham Nation on Saturday, 11 June 2022. It is burning grass and brush in steep and rugged terrain that is difficult for firefighters to access. Hot and dry winds from the south and southwest are pushing the fire to the north and northeast. On Monday June 13 it had burned about 500 acres, and by Thursday morning it had grown to 11,500 acres as it moved through the drought-stressed vegetation.

The fire was very active Thursday afternoon, spreading to the north, closer to Kitt Peak.

Thursday morning it was 1.5 miles south of the complex of observatories at Kitt Peak, 20 miles north of the US/Mexico border, and 16 miles east of Sells, AZ.

A Type 2 Eastern Area Incident Management Team assumed command of the Contreras Fire on June 16, under the direction of Incident Commander Brian Pisarek.

To date, aviation resources and retardant dropped from aircraft have had limited success due to heavy smoke, high winds and extremely dry fuels. Smoke from the fire is visible from Sells and Three Points, and residual effects have been reported near Tucson.