The cost of battling the Mulberry Fire southeast of Tucson so far is $700,000, and it remained at 1,755 acres, state authorities said Monday.
Two houses and two other structures were destroyed in the blaze, said Tiffany Davila, a spokeswoman for the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management.
The fire, which began Saturday afternoon 8 miles southeast of Vail, is burning grass and brush and is 80 percent contained, Davila said.
The Pima County Sheriffβs Department is the investigating agency, and the cause of the fire is undetermined and remains under investigation, said Deputy Ryan Inglett, a sheriffβs spokesman.
One of the homes destroyed belonged to Betty Ecret. Family members of Ecret, who was out of town when the fire tore through her home, contacted the Southern Arizona Chapter of the American Red Cross on her behalf, said Mike Sagara, a spokesman for the organization.
Ecret was flying back, and Red Cross officials had not spoken to her, Sagara said late Monday. They expected to speak with her Tuesday, he said.
A Gofundme page was set up Sunday evening to help raise money to clear the land and begin rebuilding.
Officials do not have a monetary damage estimate on the two houses or other structural destruction, said Davila.
Tucson Electric Power Co. replaced four power poles and was expecting to work overnight to replace four more poles, said Joe Barrios, a TEP spokesman.
Two-dozen customers were without service, but crews hoped to have power restored to all customers by Tuesday morning, said Barrios. Rocky terrain was making it difficult for the crews to gain access to all the poles, he said.
Between 150 to 200 firefighters will continue working Tuesday to secure the perimeter and monitor for hotspots, said Davila. She said staff is expected to be reduced on Tuesday.
βWeather is helping us a lot,β said Davila. βThe cooler temperatures are playing a big factor on this fire,β she said.
A 30 percent chance of rain is predicted on Tuesday, and wind gusts have lessened since the weekend, said Davila.
The fire is expected to be contained by this weekend, officials said.
An evacuation order for residents was in place but has been lifted.
